Four dead, 30 missing as migrant boat sinks off Turkey

Migrants wait for transferring from NGO ship Juventa to Spansih NGO Proactiva Open Arms after being rescued in the Mediterranean Sea, 23 miles north the coast of Sabratha on 20 June, 2017 [Marcus Drinkwater/Anadolu Agency]

Four people died after a migrant boat sank off the western coast of Turkey late yesterday, the Turkish interior ministry said today, adding that 30 others were still missing.

The boat sank off the coast of Izmir province, the ministry said in a statement, adding that search and rescue operations were underway to find the missing migrants.

READ: 1 dead as migrant boat heading to Italy sinks off Tunisia coast

Turkey has been the main route for refugees trying to cross into Europe, especially since 2011, the start of Syria’s civil war.

Among the migrants held in 2017 in Turkey, the majority came from Pakistan — around 15,000 — followed by Afghans at around 12,000. Syrians totalled 10,000.

Turkey has been one of the main country which has been welcoming Syrian refugees –
Cartoon [MiddleEastMonitor]

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