Six people froze to death while trying to illegally cross into Turkey from northern Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), a Kurdish official said on Tuesday.

They were part of a group that became stranded near the Mergasor river at the border between the Kurdish region and Turkey, Mergasor district chief Ghafour Malswari told dpa.

Four members of the group managed to reach Turkish soil where they were admitted to hospital, he said.

"We are working to bring them back to Kurdistan," Malswari said.

Many Kurdish migrants attempt to reach Turkey using illegal modes of entry, often with the help of smugglers.