9 die as migrant boat sinks off Turkey’s Aegean coast

AYDIN - Anadolu Agency

File photo by PACIFIC PRESS / Alamy Stock Photo

Nine people died early on Aug. 9 when a boat carrying 13 migrants sank off the western coast of Turkey, the Turkish coast guard said. Four people were rescued.

The boat sank off the coast of Aydın province, near Kuşadası, a popular tourist destination, it said.

Kuşadası district governor Muammer Aksoy said seven children and two women were identified as casualties with no one missing.

Meanwhile, at least 523 irregular migrants were held across Turkey, security sources said on Aug. 8.

In southern province of Hatay, 97 migrants- all Syrian nationals- were rounded up while attempting to enter Turkey.

In the same province, 24 more migrants were also held in the Kırıkhan district, the sources said.

Also, in the central Kırşehir province, eight Afghan irregular migrants were held. Two people allegedly helping them were arrested on charges of human smuggling, the sources added.

Turkey has been the main route for irregular migrants trying to cross into Europe, especially since 2011 when the Syrian civil war began.

Of the migrants held in Turkey last year, the majority came from Pakistan -around 15,000- followed by Afghans at around 12,000. Syrians totaled about 10,000.

There has been a 60-percent increase in migrant flow since 2016. The number was 31,000 in 2016