Five of the train’s six cars derailed in a village in Tekirdag province after “the ground between the culvert and the rail collapsed” due to heavy rains, the Ministry of Transport said.
The train was heading to Istanbul from Edirne, on the border with Greece, with 362 passengers and six crew members on board, the transportation ministry added.
Health Ministry Undersecretary Eyup Gumus put the number of fatalities at 24 and the number of people injured at 100 based on initial reports from the scene, according to Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency.
The Turkish prime ministry issued a temporary media ban Sunday night on reporting the aftermath of the accident, citing national security and public order.
A photograph of the site showed collapsed ground under the rails. Video footage captured overturned cars and several people being carried away on stretchers.
