ISTANBUL: Turkish media say 58 people drowned when a fishing boat carrying migrants that smugglers had promised refuge in Europe sank after hitting rocks off the coast of western Turkey.
Reports cite officials as saying dozens of survivors, mostly from Iraq and Syria, were able to swim through the Aegean waters to shore, only 50 meters away.
The website of Hurriyet newspaper said yesterday that 58 people died.
Illegal immigrants from Asia and Africa have long sought to reach Europe by passing through Turkey, and their desperate efforts have occasionally ended in disaster. Turkey is now hosting 80,000 Syrians who have fled the civil war in their country, and some countries are concerned that larger numbers of Syrians could try to reach Europe illegally.
“The number of casualties recovered from the boat rose to 39,” said Ardahan Totuk, acting governor of Izmir province.
Forty-five people including two crew members were rescued alive, Totuk said earlier, adding that the captain and his mate who were among the survivors were detained.
The nationalities of the immigrants including children were not immediately available, he noted, but said most of them were from Arab countries. NTV said the survivors were from neighboring Iraq and Syria.
The boat’s final destination was not known, nor the exact number of its passengers. Officials said a search and rescue operation was under way to find the missing crew.
Turkey has become a hub of illegal immigrants who aspire to cross into European countries for better lives. Neighboring Greece is the busiest entry point for illegal immigrants trying to reach the European Union.
Turkey boat sinking toll rises to 58
