At least five migrants died on Monday when a boat sank off the coast of Dikili in Turkey’s Aegean province of İzmir, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
According to the report two migrants swam to shore not far from the coastal town of Dikili after their boat sank, the Turkish coastguard said in a statement, adding that a search was underway for those missing. The migrants said their boat sank early Monday and that they swam to the coast. The migrants also said 13 others who were on the boat were missing.
Later on Monday, the dead bodies of five migrants, including a child, were recovered from the sea while three migrants were rescued. The search and rescue operation continues to look for the five missing migrants.
Out of the 15 migrants, 14 were Afghan nationals, while the other was Iranian, the sources said, adding that among the migrants were three children.
On Oct. 15, Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said that 80,000 Afghan migrants had been apprehended in Turkey in 2018 and that the number stood at 45,000 for the whole year of 2017.
