Eight die as refugee craft sinks off Turkish coast

Turkish Coast Guard rescues 12 refugees from sinking vessel in Aegean Sea; two people still missing

Eight die as refugee craft sinks off Turkish coast

At least eight people drowned off Turkey’s Aegean Sea coast when an inflatable boat carrying refugees sank early Tuesday.

The Turkish Coast Guard launched a search-and-rescue effort as the boat, packed with 22 refugees, capsized off the Altinova area of Balikesir’s Ayvalik district as it tried to reach Greek islands.

Ayvalik governor Namik Kemal Nazli told Anadolu Agency that 12 refugees were rescued but the bodies of eight others had been recovered from the sea.

Two other people remain missing.

Nazli said the authorities thought the refugees were from Iraq, Syria and Algeria.

Five Turkish provinces – Canakkale, Balikesir, Izmir, Mugla and Aydin – lying on the Aegean Sea facing Greek islands are prime spots for refugees leaving Turkey for EU countries.

Over the past year, thousands have made short-but-perilous journeys across the Aegean in a bid to reach northern and western Europe. Worsening weather conditions in winter make the trip even more dangerous.

According to data from the International Organization for Migration, 800,000 refugees reached Europe via the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece, accounting for 80 percent of the refugees arriving irregularly in Europe by sea in 2015.

According to the UN’s refugee agency, more than 950,000 people in total have reached Europe by sea in 2015.

Anadolu Agency

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