At least 18 people were killed when an inflatable boat carrying migrants sank off Turkey's western province of Mugla on Wednesday, the coastguard said in a statement, adding that search and rescue efforts continued in the area.
The coastguard said the boat, with an outboard motor, was detected at 0300 GMT off the coast of Mugla's Bodrum district © Mena Today
At least 18 people were killed when an inflatable boat carrying migrants sank off Turkey's western province of Mugla on Wednesday, the coastguard said in a statement, adding that search and rescue efforts continued in the area.
The coastguard said the boat, with an outboard motor, was detected at 0300 GMT off the coast of Mugla's Bodrum district, and that it tried to flee despite repeated warnings to stop.
The boat later took in water due to adverse weather and sea conditions in the area and sank, it added.
A coastguard helicopter and three boats were dispatched to the area for search and rescue operations, the coastguard said, adding that they had rescued 21 people so far.
The statement did not say where the boat had departed from or where it was heading.
The Aegean Sea is a frequent transit route for thousands of migrants attempting to cross from North Africa and the Middle East into Europe, particularly from Turkey, which hosts millions of refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will sign a joint defence agreement on Friday, regional sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, at a time of regional turmoil with Gulf states coming under fire from Iran after it was attacked by the U.S. and Israel.
Mohamed Salah was welcomed like a hero by Trabzonspor fans, ready to hand the 34-year-old Egyptian a new challenge and a lucrative contract after nine seasons and countless trophies at Liverpool.
Israel said two of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon on Wednesday while Lebanese authorities said Israeli retaliatory attacks killed at least one person, a flare-up in violence that coincided with the latest round of talks between the two countries.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.