Istanbul coast guard recovers missing child’s body

ISTANBUL - Anadolu Agency

A boat, believed to have been carrying 42 illegal immigrants to Romania, overturned at the northern end of the Bosphorus near the Black Sea on Nov. 3. DHA Photo

The discovery of a child’s body in Istanbul’s Bosporus Strait on Nov. 11 has brought the death toll from a tragic boat accident earlier this month to 27.

The Turkish Coast Guard said the body of a five-year-old girl had been recovered. Some reports indicated that the initial discovery may have been made by fishermen.

A boat, believed to have been carrying 42 illegal immigrants to Romania, overturned at the northern end of the Bosphorus near the Black Sea on Nov. 3.

Turkish Transport Minister Lutfi Elvan confirmed that nine of the passengers had Afghan passports and it was possible that all of the passengers were from Afghanistan.

The Coast Guard said 12 of the 40 immigrants on board were children.

Turkey is frequently used as a transit point for undocumented immigrants trying to reach Europe.