14 Migrants Drown as Boat Sinks off Turkey’s Western Coast

Turkish emergency officials stand near a covered body after a refugee boat sank off the coast of Bodrum, killing at least 14 people.

At least 14 people drowned when a rubber boat carrying migrants capsized off Turkey’s western province of Mugla early Friday, authorities said. A search and rescue operation is ongoing to locate possible survivors.

According to the Mugla Governor’s Office, an Afghan man who managed to swim back to shore alerted authorities shortly after 1:00 a.m. He reported that 18 people had set out on the boat before it began taking on water and sank soon after departure.

Rescue teams later found another survivor who had reached Celebi Island off Bodrum. Fourteen bodies were recovered from the sea.

Efforts to locate the remaining missing migrants continue with the support of four coast guard boats, a special diving team, and a helicopter.

The Aegean Sea remains a perilous route for migrants seeking to reach Europe from Turkey, which hosts millions of refugees from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Turkey’s migration authorities said the number of irregular migrants intercepted peaked in 2019 at nearly 455,000, mostly Afghans and Syrians. As of October 16 this year, more than 122,000 migrants have been apprehended.