Turkey train derails en route to Istanbul, killing 24

The train derailed near the border with Bulgaria in the province of Tekirdag

Twenty-four people have been killed after a train derailed in north-western Turkey, Deputy Prime Minister Recep Akdag says.

The train was en route to Istanbul from the town of Kapikule on the Bulgarian border, according to reports.

Six of the carriages derailed, with about 360 passengers on board, state-run TRT Haber TV channel said.

The exact cause of the crash is unclear but authorities have blamed bad weather and a landslide for the accident.

CNN Turk, though, reported that a collapsed bridge was the cause of the accident.

The train derailed in the province of Tekirdag. Local governor Mehmet Ceylan told the NTV channel that helicopters had already taken many of the injured away from the scene.

Television footage shows rescuers heading to the crash site, and victims pulled from the carriages.

Russian news sources meanwhile said that Russian tourists were among those injured in the derailment.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent his condolences for those killed, his office said, after getting information about the crash from his ministers.

The train derailed in Tekirdag province in north-west Turkey