The bodies of three men, believed to be illegal migrants, were found on the Turkish-Iranian border.

Locals alerted authorities when they discovered the bodies in a rural area of Başkale, a Turkish town on the border, on Friday. The bodies were taken to a hospital for autopsies.

Authorities said they were believed to be migrants who froze to death while trying to cross into Turkey in winter and that the bodies were found only after the heavy snow in the area thawed.