A truck carrying illegal immigrants from Afghanistan and Bangladesh crashed into a parked transport truck on Friday, leaving at least 40 people dead and seven others injured, the governor said.

The accident occurred near the southern city of Osmaniye, Gov. Zubeyir Kemelek told private NTV television.

Kemelek said the driver of the truck carrying immigrants was thought to be dead too.

"The front of the truck is compressed, we have not been able to reach that part yet," Kemelek said.

Dozens of bodies were seen in television footage lying on the asphalt just behind the trucks. The impact of the crash apparently ejected the immigrants onto the asphalt.

Turkey is a major transit point for thousands of Middle Eastern and African migrants attempting to reach Europe illegally each year.