Eleven killed in Turkey as train rams into minibus

Eleven people are killed in Turkey as a freight train rams into a minibus passing a level crossing despite warnings to stop.

Eleven people were killed in Turkey when a freight train rammed into a minibus which was passing a level crossing despite warnings to stop, officials said on Monday.

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The state-run railway authority said the accident occurred overnight near the town of Urdagi in the southeastern Gaziantep province when the bus driver tried to cross over the tracks despite closed barriers, flashing lights and a warning bell.

The initial toll stood at nine dead and four injured.

Two of the injured later died in the local hospital, a spokesman from the hospital's emergency service told AFP.

The driver survived the accident.

Train accidents are fairly frequent on Turkey's ageing and often poorly maintained rail network.