At least 18 people died after an inflatable boat with an outboard motor capsized in Turkish waters early Wednesday.
Turkish authorities said the vessel, carrying migrants across the Aegean Sea toward Europe, ignored repeated warnings to stop and the pilot tried to outrun them. The boat began taking on water in rough seas and eventually capsized off the coast of Bodrum.
The Coast Guard said the vessel was first detected at about 0300 GMT. Three boats and a helicopter were dispatched from Izmir to search for survivors. Following search and rescue operations, 21 undocumented migrants were rescued alive and the bodies of 18 others were recovered. Efforts to determine the status of any missing migrants and ongoing search operations continue. No information has been released about where the boat departed from or its intended destination.
The Greek island of Kos lies roughly 20 kilometers (13 miles) from Bodrum; Greece is a common gateway to Europe for people fleeing poverty and conflict across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Turkey itself hosts millions of migrants, including many from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
Migrant drownings in the Aegean are frequent. Human smugglers often supply unseaworthy, overcrowded boats that are vulnerable in poor weather, increasing the risk of tragedy at sea.
Edited by: Karl Sexton