Three migrants died and four others were missing after an inflatable boat began taking on water Thursday in the Aegean Sea off Turkey’s western coast, Agence France-Presse reported.
The Turkish coast guard said 38 people were rescued in the incident near the Foça district of İzmir province, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Greek island of Lesbos, a common route for migrants trying to reach Europe.
Search and rescue operations were continuing for the missing people, the coast guard said, adding that it deployed multiple vessels and helicopters.
At least 524 migrants have been killed or gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea since the start of 2026, according to the International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project.
The agency recorded 1,873 migrants missing or dead in the Mediterranean in 2025.
