Turkey: Six migrants drown in waters off mainland

The latest incident took place near the municipality of Selcuk, a part of the city of Izmir, which is home to a number of major tourist attractions in Turkey. 

“The bodies of six lifeless illegal immigrants were fished out of the water,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote on X, adding that the coastguard had rescued 27 others.

“Our fight against migrant smuggling organizers who exploit the hopes of people, who drag them to their deaths without any regard for children, elderly and women, and who have no sense of humanity, will continue uninterruptedly both on the mainland and at sea,” Yerlikaya added.

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Destination unknown

It is unclear where exactly the migrants might have been heading, however at its nearest, the Selcuk area is only 15 kilometers away from the Greek island of Samos, which attracts many migrants and refugees who embark on clandestine journeys from Turkey.

The nationalities of the migrants were not made public, however, the ministry confirmed that one of the survivors was detained for questioning over allegations of people smuggling.

Verified video from the rescue shows that there were several children among those rescued.

The coast guard dispatched its rescue teams after receiving a distress call before sunrise at around 04:00 am local time.

The ensuing rescue operation involved a coordinated effort between the coast guard ship with three other boats and a helicopter. 

Video from the interior ministry shows officials helping the migrants climb onto a rescue vessel.

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Dangerous waters

Only short stretches of sea separate Turkish and Greek territory in this part of the Aegean. The Greek islands of Samos, Lesbos, Kos and Rhodes are particularly close to the Turkish mainland.

The Turkish coast guard frequently picks up migrants here who fail at trying to reach Greece, which is part of the EU.

As part of a 2016 deal with the European Union, Turkey is in charge of preventing migrants mainly from the Middle East and Central Asia from reaching the bloc — with limited success.

Drownings continue to occur almost weekly in the Aegean, which is part of the Mediterranean Sea; only last month, another seven migrants died in the same area as this incident.

According to the IOM, at least 2,333 migrants disappeared or died across the whole of the Mediterranean last year. Actual numbers of deaths could be even greater, since the IOM notes that many migrants may have “disappeared without a trace” in one part of the sea or another.

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 with AP, AFP, dpa