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16 Die in Turkey Bus Crash

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From the Associated Press

A bus carrying about 40 people drove off a road and plunged into a river before dawn Thursday, killing at least 16 passengers and injuring 11, Turkish officials said.

The rest of the passengers -- believed to be 14 people -- were missing and feared dead.

The bus was half-submerged in the Kelkit River, in the central province of Tokat, about 200 miles east of Ankara, the national capital, a local official said.

One passenger managed to free himself and walk to a nearby village for help, according to news reports. Ten other passengers climbed on top of the bus to wait for help, and rescuers with ropes pulled them to safety.

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Rescue teams and divers recovered the bodies of 16 passengers, most inside the bus.

The bus was traveling from Istanbul to the eastern city of Van, near the Iranian border.

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