A Turkish soldier died and 11 more were injured on Thursday after a military vehicle overturned near Morphou.

The vehicle was travelling towards Morphou from the village of Argaki.

According to the Turkish Cypriot police, the vehicle in which the 12 were travelling overtook a car driven by a 58-year-old woman, before colliding with it and detaching its wing mirror.

After the collision, the military vehicle’s driver reportedly lost control, and the vehicle veered of the road and overturned.

Later on Thursday, the Turkish defence ministry named the soldier as Ugurcan Isik, while also wishing the 11 injured soldiers well.

“We wish God’s mercy to our dear martyr who lost his life in this incident which has filled us with deep pain and sorrow. We offer our condolences to his grieving family, the Turkish Armed Forces, and our noble nation, and we wish a speedy recovery to our wounded comrades in arms,” they said.

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar also released a short statement, offering “my condolences to his grieving family, the Turkish Armed Forces, and the Turkish people.”

The north’s ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel reacted to the news, saying he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of life.

“I wish God’s mercy on our fallen soldier and a speedy recovery to our wounded,” he said.

The police’s investigation into the incident is ongoing.