refugees

trying to reach Greece

drown

ed when their boat sank off the Turkish coast late Friday.

The Turkish

Coast

Guard officials said they were en route from the coastal town of Bodrum to the Greek island of Kalimnos when their 14-meter-long wooden boat sank.

The victims were mostly young children and babies. Before the fatal accident, the boat had been packed with 32 refugees from Syria, Iraq and Pakistan.

Another 14 people trying to stay afloat on the makeshift boat's deck, were rescued by a coast guard boat, who recognized the boat capsized off the Küçük Kiremit island off the western city of Muğla.

The victims were taken to a morgue in Bodrum state hospital, the local media said.

One man of Syrian origin travelling with the refugees was detained for allegedly planning the Greece-bound clandestine sea journey. He is said to be the boat's captain and the person who illegally organized the ill-fated trip.

As many as 300,000 refugees have arrived in Greece so far this year on their way to other EU countries. The International Organization for Migration said that refugees arriving in Greece usually set out from Turkey's Aegean coast, which is close to the Greek islands.

The boat reportedly sank off Çatal Ada near Turkey's western coast. Before the accident, it was en route from Turkey's popular coastal town of Bodrum to the Greek island of Lesbos.

Acting on a tip from fishermen, a coast guard boat launched search-and-rescue operations. The coast guard rescued five people from the boat. Rescue efforts are in progress to search for any further missing after the boat accident.

It is still unclear how many people had been on board on the boat before it sank.

The boat is the latest to sink in the waters off the Bodrum peninsula, where refugees gather to make the short but perilous sea journey to nearby Greek islands as they seek new lives in Europe.

Amir Cicek, governor of Mugla province, said the vessel sank off the Turkish island of Cavusadasi, which lies around 3 kilometers (2 miles) west of the mainland, in the early hours of Sunday as it headed for Kos.

He added: “37 people were on board the 8-meter vessel. Our teams rescued 20 of them while they found 17 bodies."

An investigation has been launched.

On Saturday night, the Turkish Coast Guard intercepted two boats carrying 31 Syrian and Afghan refugees heading to Kos, which is around 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Turkey. Ten Syrians were pulled from the sea as they tried to swim back to Turkey.

Two weeks ago, 15 refugees drowned in Bodrum's bay when their boat, a 15-meter day-trip vessel, sank.

According to the International Organization for Migration, 505,693 refugees have arrived in Europe by sea this year, most arriving in Greece. There have been 227 deaths in the Aegean Sea, the group said.

An initial report said the 20-meter wooden boat, packed with desperate migrants, sank at around 6 a.m. off Datça, in the Aegean Sea. When the boat sank, it was en route to the island of Kos, Greece.

The victims included 11 women and four children. Approximately 211 others were rescued from water with the help of five coast guard speedboats, acting on a tip-off. They have been taken to the coastal town of Bodrum after primary care on the boat.

In another sea accident, at least two Syrian migrants died in an attempt to reach Greece when their boat sank off the western city of İzmir in the Aegean Sea. They reportedly drowned after their boat had capsized off the province's Seferhisar town on its way to a Greek island.

Eleven migrants were rescued from water by a Turkish coast guard boat, acting on a tip-off which said a fishing vessel had been helping immigrants who managed to stay afloat.

Turkish media said when the fatal accident happened, the migrant boat was en route to the island of Kos, Greece.

The 4-meter long fiberglass boat, reprtedly packed with 12 Syrian migrants, sank at around 12:30 a.m. in the Mediterranean Sea after taking on water.

Majority on the capsized boat survived by swimming back to shore in the town. Paramedics immediately responded to the scene, acting on a tip-off from the town residents who helped the survivors come ashore.

Three immigrants, including an infant, were hospitalized after primary care on the shore.

The migrant, who died in the accident, was identified as a 35-year-old woman, whose heart stopped after swallowing a huge amount of water. The health crew performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation to restore and maintain her breathing for nearly 20 minutes. She died despite frantic efforts by paramedics.

A Turkish Coast Guard boat launched search-and-rescue efforts to find the missing. The efforts are still underway off the coastal town.

Muğla Governor Amir Çiçek said that a boat carrying illegal immigrants sank while trying to get to Greece's island of Kos, about two miles (3.2 kilometers) from the coast of Turkey. He confirmed that four people were killed while 9 others were saved. Çiçek stated that the number of the migrants on board was unclear yet, so the search and rescue efforts were still continuing.

The Turkish coast guard seized a boat carrying 11 illegal immigrants from Afghanistan on Wednesday night, the authorities announced on Thursday.

The immigrants generally set off in hopes of entering and living in the European Union by landing on one of the countries' coasts or islands.

The boat was on a clandestine journey to the Greek island of Kos, along with four children and a pregnant woman aboard. The boat was intercepted off Akyarlar village, near the popular coastal town of Bodrum, Mugla.