Refugees drown as wooden boat sinks off Turkish coast
At least 22 people, including four children, die while more than 200 people survive in waters between Greece and Turkey. |
| At least 22 people, including four children, die while more than 200 people survive in waters between Greece and Turkey. |
Amir Cicek, governor of Bodrum, said on Tuesday that a total of 249 refugees were rescued.
"Twenty-two migrants remained under the boat and drowned. Search and rescue work has been completed," he said.
Cicek said the boat had a capacity of 50-60 people, but was carrying 271 people on board.
The private Dogan agency reported that the boat sank in international waters between Datca in Turkey and the Greek island of Kos.
It was not immediately clear where the people were from, or what caused the sinking.
The incident comes two days after 34 refugees, including 15 children, drowned off the Greek island of Farmakonissi when the wooden boat they were on sank. Nearly 100 other people were rescued.
More than 250,000 people have entered Greece so far this year in an attempt to reach the more prosperous northern European countries.
The vast majority are Syrian refugees making the perilous sea crossing from the nearby Turkish coast.
Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith, reporting from Istanbul, said that despite the closing of the border in Europe, the surge of refugees from Turkey to Greece continues.
"There's no impact on the refugees trying to leave Turkey," he said. "The latest incident is an indication that there are still a large number of people trying to cross the Mediterranean."
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