Refugee boat sinks off western Turkiye, killing at least 14

According to the provincial governor, at least 14 refugees perished when their inflatable dinghy capsized in the Turkish resort of Bodrum in the Aegean Sea.

An Afghan man who survived the disaster and returned to the mainland had raised the alarm shortly after 1 a.m. (22:00 GMT), according to the Mugla governorate office, on Friday.

The governor’s office reported to the Afghan national to the emergency services that the rubber boat had been sailing after 18 people had set off, but that it soon after had become in water and sunk.

A second survivor who had escaped Bodrum’s Celebi Island was discovered by search and rescue teams.

Four coastguard boats, powered by a helicopter and a specialist diving team, were conducting a search and rescue operation to find other unaccounted refugees, according to the office.

Refugee and migrant boats frequently vanish on the short but dangerous route between the Turkish coast and the nearby Greek islands of Samos, Rhodes, and Lesbos, which are safe haven for people fleeing conflict and poverty.

At least 16 people died in the narrow channel between Turkiye and Lesbos in April when two refugees’ boats went down.

At least 22 people were killed last year when their rubber dinghy capsized off the Turkish island of Gokceada, killing several children.

Greece and Turkiye, NATO members, have a thorn in their relationship because they frequently accuse each other of waving migrants through their joint borders and at sea.