Dozens Flee Syria Crackdown into Turkey, One Dies

One person died from gunshot wounds as 41 refugees fleeing unrest in Syria crossed the border into Turkey over the weekend, a Turkish diplomat told Agence France Presse on Tuesday.

"A man with gunshot wounds died in an ambulance heading to a hospital in Turkey, after he crossed the border in a serious condition," the diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

Around 20 of the refugees who crossed the border in southern Turkey's Hatay province had been injured, presumably in demonstrations in northwest Syria, and were treated in Turkey, the source said.

Ambulances have been kept at border in case of any possible new entries, the source said.

Turkey in April offered shelter for more than 200 villagers who crossed from unrest-hit Syria, breaking through barbed wire at the border.

"Today there are 259 Syrian refugees in Turkey and 35 of them are hospitalized," the diplomat said.

Since May 20, 88 wounded Syrians have arrived in Hatay in separate waves, including 45 on Sunday and two on Monday, according to a humanitarian source close to the Turkish Islamist charity IHH.

"Three wounded Syrians died in Turkey on Sunday and Monday," the source said, adding that most of the refugees were young men aged between 20 and 30 and generally were injured in the legs, arms and abdomen.

The first group of refugees in April was made up of ethnic Turkmen, a community of Turkish origin. Media reports had said they might have come to Turkey in search of a better life, rather than fleeing the violence.

Turkey and Syria share an 800-kilometer border. Turkey is wary that protracted turmoil in its southern neighbor may harm flourishing bilateral ties and have repercussions for its own security.

Since March 15, Syria has been rocked by pro-democracy protests, which the authorities have tried to crush through violence that rights groups say has killed more than 1,100 civilians.