ANKARA — At least 17 migrants drowned early Friday after a rubber boat sank off the coast of Turkey’s western Mugla province, officials said, as the Aegean Sea once again claimed lives of those seeking passage toward Europe, according to “The Express Tribune”.
The Mugla Governor’s Office said in a statement that an Afghan man who survived the sinking swam back to shore and alerted authorities around 1 a.m. He told rescuers that 18 people had been on board when the boat began taking on water soon after leaving the Turkish coast.
Search and rescue teams later found a second survivor on Celebi Island near the resort town of Bodrum. By Friday afternoon, 17 bodies had been recovered from the sea, according to the governor’s office.
“Efforts to locate any remaining missing migrants continue with four coast guard vessels, a special diving team, and a helicopter,” the statement said.
The nationalities of the victims have not been confirmed, but many migrants attempting to cross the Aegean Sea are from Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq part of the millions who have fled war, poverty, and instability in recent years.
Turkey remains one of the world’s largest host countries for refugees, sheltering nearly 4 million people, mostly Syrians. The Aegean, separating Turkey from Greece, has long been a perilous corridor for those risking the short but dangerous voyage in overcrowded, unseaworthy boats.
According to Turkey’s Presidency of Migration Management, the number of irregular migrants intercepted in the country peaked in 2019 at nearly 455,000, largely from Afghanistan and Syria. This year, authorities have apprehended more than 122,000 people as of mid-October.
The latest tragedy underscores the deadly risks of migration routes from the Middle East toward Europe, crossings that, despite heightened patrols and repeated warnings, continue under the cover of night.
