Four die as boat carrying migrants sinks off Turkish coast

BALIKESİR – Anadolu Agency

DHA Photo

A boat carrying 17 migrants from Eritrea and Afghanistan, who were aiming to take refuge in the European Union, sank off the coast of Ayvalık in the Aegean Sea on July 18, leaving four people dead and one missing.

The boat was on its way to the Greek island of Lesbos, which is located in the northeastern Aegean Sea and had 13 Eritreans, three Afghans and one unidentified passenger on board when it sank.

The Turkish coast guard patrolling the area saw the boat and managed to save 12 people while they were in the water.

Once on shore, the 12 rescued migrants were taken to a nearby hospital to be medically examined and then later to the local police station where they will be deported.

The bodies of the four drowning victims were taken to Ayvalık state hospital and then to a forensics laboratory in Bursa, a city in western Turkey, where an autopsy will be undertaken.

A search and rescue team has been assembled to find the unidentified person lost at sea when the boat sank.