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5 Children Among Dead as Migrant Boat Capsizes Off Turkey 5 Children Among Dead as Migrant Boat Capsizes Off Turkey
(35 minutes later)
ANKARA, Turkey — A boat smuggling migrants to Greece slammed into rocks off the Turkish coast on Saturday and capsized, killing at least 35 people, including five children, officials said. ANKARA, Turkey — A boat smuggling migrants to Greece slammed into rocks off the Turkish coast on Saturday and capsized, killing at least 35 people, including five children, government officials said.
Coast guard officials said they had rescued 75 people from the 56-foot vessel, but government officials said they suspected that more were trapped inside the sunken boat and that the death toll was likely to rise. Coast guard officials said they had rescued 75 people from the 56-foot vessel, but one government official said that more bodies were spotted inside the sunken boat but remained inaccessible to divers.
Video footage on the Turkish shoreline showed police officers walking among several bodies as they washed ashore, among them a toddler lying on his back in navy blue clothing. Video footage on the Turkish shoreline showed police officers walking among several bodies as they washed ashore, among them a toddler lying on his back in navy blue clothing on a rocky beach.
The International Organization for Migration says drowning deaths are running at four times the rate of 2015, when many thousands each day tried to enter the European Union through Turkey by reaching one of more than a dozen Greek islands, particularly nearby Lesbos. The International Organization for Migration says drowning deaths are running at four times the rate of 2015, when many thousands each day tried to enter the European Union through Turkey by reaching one of more than a dozen Greek islands, particularly Lesbos.
Saturday’s deaths raise the drowning total for January above 250. The International Organization for Migration recorded 805 drowning deaths on Turkey-Greece smuggling routes in 2015, when thousands of people sought to enter European Union countries by reaching one of the Greek islands. Saturday’s deaths raise the drowning total for January above 250. The International Organization for Migration recorded 805 drowning deaths on Turkey-Greece smuggling routes in 2015.
Saim Eskioglu, deputy governor for Canakkale Province, which includes Ayvacik, said Saturday that the boat “hit rocks soon after it left the coast and, unfortunately, it sank.” Saim Eskioglu, the deputy governor for Canakkale Province, which includes Ayvacik, said Saturday that the boat “hit rocks soon after it left the coast and, unfortunately, it sank.”
“We believe there are more dead bodies inside the boat,” he told CNN-Turk television. “There are either three or four more bodies inside the boat, which had two decks,” Mr. Eskioglu said. “The divers are trying to reach them.”
The state-run Anadolu news agency put the death toll at 39.
Ayvacik’s mayor, Mehmet Unal Sahin, said most of the migrants were Syrians. The state-run Anadolu Agency said that some of the passengers were from Afghanistan and Myanmar.Ayvacik’s mayor, Mehmet Unal Sahin, said most of the migrants were Syrians. The state-run Anadolu Agency said that some of the passengers were from Afghanistan and Myanmar.
In a statement, the Turkish coast guard said that it had dispatched three boats, a team of divers and a helicopter after receiving calls for help. The coast guard said its rescue teams had recovered many bodies and were continuing to search. In a statement, the Turkish coast guard said that it had dispatched three boats, a team of divers and a helicopter after receiving calls for help, and that the search-and-rescue operation was continuing.
A private Turkish news agency, Dogan, said the police had arrested a Turkish man suspected of being the smuggler who organized the sea crossing.A private Turkish news agency, Dogan, said the police had arrested a Turkish man suspected of being the smuggler who organized the sea crossing.
Joel Millman, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, said the rate of deaths on Turkey-Greece human trafficking routes was “increasing at an alarming rate.”Joel Millman, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, said the rate of deaths on Turkey-Greece human trafficking routes was “increasing at an alarming rate.”
Mr. Millman added that the rate of fatalities was running exceptionally high compared with the rate for 2015. Turkey, which is home to an estimated 2.5 million refugees from Syria, in November agreed to try to break up smuggling networks and stem the flow of migrants into Europe. In return, the European Union pledged $3.25 billion to help improve the refugees’ conditions.Mr. Millman added that the rate of fatalities was running exceptionally high compared with the rate for 2015. Turkey, which is home to an estimated 2.5 million refugees from Syria, in November agreed to try to break up smuggling networks and stem the flow of migrants into Europe. In return, the European Union pledged $3.25 billion to help improve the refugees’ conditions.
The country says it has started rejecting Syrians who arrive without valid visas via third countries. It also has started to grant work permits to Syrians as an incentive for them to stay in Turkey.The country says it has started rejecting Syrians who arrive without valid visas via third countries. It also has started to grant work permits to Syrians as an incentive for them to stay in Turkey.