At least 61 migrants including Palestinians and Syrians,
more than half of them children, died after their overcrowded boat sank just tens of metres off Turkey's
western Aegean coast on Thursday, officials said.
Tahsin Kurtbeyoglu, Governor of the coastal district of Menderes in Izmir province, said that an initial
investigation showed the small vessel sank around dawn, due to overcrowding.
Its destination was unclear but the small Turkish town of Ahmetbeyli from where it set out is only a
At least 61 migrants including Palestinians and Syrians,
more than half of them children, died after their overcrowded boat sank just tens of metres off Turkey's
western Aegean coast on Thursday, officials said.
Tahsin Kurtbeyoglu, Governor of the coastal district of Menderes in Izmir province, said that an initial
investigation showed the small vessel sank around dawn, due to overcrowding.
Its destination was unclear but the small Turkish town of Ahmetbeyli from where it set out is only a
few kilometres from the Greek island of Samos. Greece is a common entry point for migrants trying
to get into the EU.
“The total death toll is 61, including 12 men, 18 women, 28 children and three babies,’’ the governor's
office in Izmir said in a statement.
Turkish media said the reason the death toll was so high was because the women and children were in
a locked compartment in the lower section of the vessel, although there was no official confirmation
of this.
Kurtbeyoglu said 46 people had so far been rescued alive, including the ship's Turkish captain and
assistant, who had been placed under arrest. He said there were no bodies left on the boat and he
did not expect the death toll to rise any further.
The Izmir governor's office said the survivors were Palestinian and Syrian nationals and that they had
been taken to Ahmetbeyli for health checks. Two people were admitted to hospital.
Turkish media said there were also Iraqis on the boat, although that could not be confirmed.
Turkey's position as a bridge from Asia to Europe, as well as its wealth compared with neighbouring
states, has long made it both a destination and a transit point for migrants from the Middle East and
as far afield as Africa and South Asia.
Its location also means it is a major destination for human trafficking, according to the International
Organization for Migration, which helps governments to combat illegal migration.
A record 1,500 migrants, mostly from Africa, died trying to reach European shores last year with uprisings
in Tunisia and Libya adding to the numbers, according to the UN.
About 130,000 immigrants cross Greece's sea and land borders every year, the vast majority via Turkey
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