Boat sinks in Aegean Sea leaving 6 migrants dead

MUĞLA – Anadolu Agency

AA Photo

At least six people have drowned after a boat carrying migrants to a Greek island sank in the Aegean Sea on April 6, Turkish officials have said.

Nine people were also rescued, the governor of the southwestern province of Muğla, Amir Çiçek, told the Anadolu Agency.

The migrants, believed to be Syrians and Iraqis, were heading to Greece illegally.

“The Coast Guard Command is continuing its search and rescue efforts from the sea and the air,” Çiçek said. “It is not yet known how many people were in the boat.”

The migrant boat was heading to Greece’s Kos Island when it capsized off the Datça Gulf off the coast of Muğla.

Initially, Turkish coast guards recovered four bodies from the sea. After a helicopter and ships were deployed to the scene, two more bodies were discovered while nine people were rescued.

The survivors, including a pregnant woman, were sent to Foreigners’ Department for deportation.

Turkey hosts 1.7 million Syrians and 300,000 Iraqis who have fled the crises in their countries.

“We have lost 300,000 of our brothers so far. Up to 5 million of our brothers are now refugees outside Syria …Turkey’s position on refugees is clear,” Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on March 13, adding the country would continue to keep its doors open to Iraqis and Syrians fleeing violence.