‘Afghan:’ Migrant graves in Turkey testify to border perils

By MEHMET GUZEL and ROBERT BADENDIECK
Associated Press

VAN, Turkey (AP) — Plain concrete gravestones painted with a number and the word “Afghan” mark the final resting places of dozens of unidentified migrants who died trying to enter Turkey through the rugged border with Iran. Hundreds of people escaping poverty or conflict, mostly from Afghanistan, but also from other countries in the region, have lost their lives over the years in the attempt. Some of exposure to extreme weather, others in accidents crammed inside trucks and boats as their smugglers try to evade authorities. Those whose identities remain unknown are buried in dirt lots in special sections of cemeteries around Turkey’s eastern Van province that borders Iran.