14 Migrants Died As A Result Of A Rubber Boat Sinking In Turkey

UNSPLASH/Li ILLUSTRATION

A total of 14 people died when a rubber boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Mugla Province, West Turkey.

Search and rescue operations are underway to find possible survivors.

In a statement, the Mugla Governor's Office said an Afghan man who survived the disaster and swam back to the mainland had sounded the alarm shortly after 01.00 in the morning.

The Afghan national told emergency services that 18 people boarded a rubber boat, but soon the boat entered the water and sank.

The SAR team found the second survivors who managed to reach Celebi Island off the coast of Bodrum. They also evacuated 14 bodies from the sea.

"Other illegal migrant search and rescue efforts deemed missing continue with four coast guard vessels, a special team of coast guard divers, and one helicopter," the governor's office said.

The Aegean Sea is a transit route that is often traversed by thousands of migrants trying to cross from North Africa and the Middle East to Europe, especially from Turkey which houses millions of refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The number of illegal migrants arrested in Turkey peaked in 2019 with nearly 455,000 people, mainly from Afghanistan and Syria, according to the Migration Management Presidential.

More than 122,000 migrants were arrested in Turkey until October 16 this year.