9 dead, 25 missing after migrant boat sinks off western Turkey
(VOVWORLD) - At least nine people died and and 25 people were missing after a boat filled with migrants sank off the western coast of Turkey’s Izmir province, the Turkish coast guard said on Wednesday.
Search and rescue operations for the missing migrants continue.
Turkey was the main launch point for more than a million migrants taking the sea route to EU territory in 2015, most fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa. The influx of migrants was drastically curtailed by a 2016 accord between Turkey and the EU.