17 refugees, including children, drown off Turkish coast

Over a dozen bodies have washed up on the Turkish coastline after a boat carrying refugees is thought to have capsized on its way to Greece

5 January 2016, 1:52pm

1 min read

Turkish officials prepare to move the body of a migrant that washed ashore on a beach in Ayvalik district

At least 17 bodies have been washed up on the Turkish coast in the latest tragedy to hit refugees trying to cross the sea to Greece.

The bodies were found on beaches at Ayvalik and Dikili some 50km apart. Several were children. Their boats are thought to have capsized while crossing to the island of Lesbos.

Conditions in the Aegean Sea in the early hours of Tuesday were described as rough and officials said the migrants who had tried to reach Lesbos were in rubber dinghies.

Coast guards at Ayvalik searched the area for survivors and rescued eight people who had climbed on to a breakwater, reported Dogan news agency.

More than one million migrants crossed the Mediterranean in 2015 and the vast majority went from Turkey to Greece. According to the UN, 3,771 people were listed as dead or missing.