Eighteen migrants die in Aegean Sea shipwreck
Eighteen migrants drowned on Wednesday after their inflatable boat capsized off the coast of Bodrum, in southwestern Turkey, Turkish coast guards reported.
A rescue operation saved 21 migrants, while the bodies of 18 others were recovered, according to a coast guard statement. The authorities said the group was spotted at sea around 06:00 local time (03:00 GMT). The inflatable boat reportedly refused to stop and continued at high speed before taking on water and sinking.
Bodrum, a popular tourist destination, lies close to several Greek islands, including Kos, one of the main entry points into the European Union in the Aegean Sea. The distance between Kos and the Turkish coast is less than five kilometers.
Shipwrecks are common on these dangerous crossings. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 831 migrants have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean so far this year.
-
17:40
-
17:30
-
17:16
-
17:00
-
16:45
-
16:35
-
16:26
-
16:20
-
16:04
-
16:00
-
15:51
-
15:40
-
15:38
-
15:26
-
15:20
-
15:13
-
14:59
-
14:50
-
14:50
-
14:31
-
14:20
-
14:15
-
14:05
-
13:50
-
13:45
-
13:20
-
13:00
-
12:59
-
12:45
-
12:20
-
12:00
-
12:00
-
11:45
-
11:45
-
11:30
-
11:30
-
11:20
-
11:15
-
11:00
-
10:50
-
10:45
-
10:32
-
10:30
-
10:15
-
10:10
-
10:00
-
09:50
-
09:45
-
09:30
-
09:24
-
09:15
-
09:10
-
09:07
-
09:00
-
08:50
-
08:45
-
08:30
-
08:20
-
07:50
