At least two irregular migrants die off Turkish coast

MUĞLA

 At least two illegal immigrants have died after a rubber boat, carrying 20 people, drifted and was in danger of sinking due to engine failure off the southwestern town of Bodrum.

The Coast Guard Command received a distress call on early May 31 about the drifting boat. Rescue teams, including two unmanned aerial vehicles, three helicopters, three boats and two diving teams, were dispatched to the scene.

Fourteen of the immigrants on the boat were rescued, but search efforts are ongoing for four of the six individuals who fell into the sea.

Last week, Turkish security teams rescued 75 irregular migrants, including 12 children, who had been pushed back by Greek forces off the country's western coast, media reports said.

Greece, along with Spain and Italy, is a key entry point for people from the Middle East or Africa who are seeking a better life in the European Union. To get to Greek shores, most make the risky crossing in flimsy boats from neighboring Türkiye or Libya.

According to reports, nearly 16,000 people have reached Greece this year, mostly by sea. In 2023, the number of arrivals exceeded 48,000.

In a separate incident on May 23, the Greek Coast Guard said 34 men and three boys were rescued by a passing merchant vessel 83 nautical miles south of Crete after issuing a distress signal. One man fell into the sea and drowned, as reported by survivors and the ship's captain. The survivors, who had set off from eastern Libya on May 21, were taken to Crete.