Turkey suspends railway services to Iran due to COVID19

Turkey suspended railway services over its Iranian border due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, to Iran.

"Reciprocal services between Turkey and Iran of the Trans-Asia Express and Van-Tehran passenger trains and freight trains were temporarily halted as of 5.00 p.m. local time (1400GMT) on Sunday," the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) announced on Monday.

The move came as the death toll from COVID-19 in Iran has been increasing, with the latest official death toll at 12.

The statement cited Turkey's temporary border closure with the country on Sunday.

Ankara also halted flights from Iran to prevent the spread of the virus.

In China, the epicenter of the virus, the death toll from the outbreak has reached 2,594, with over 77,000 confirmed cases.

Following the global spread of the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak an international health emergency.