One migrant has drowned after a boat carrying illegal migrants to the Greek islands of Kos sank in the Aegean Sea early Friday, Turkish security sources said.

The Coast Guard found the floundering vessel and nine migrants were pulled from the water. A 35-year-old female migrant, however, could not be saved despite all medical efforts.

Four of the nine survivors, including Syrian citizens Sara Mehti, 40, and Zahra Mehti, 1, were taken to hospital.

They were apparently sailing for the Greek island of Kos, about 3.2 kilometers from the resort city of Bodrum, according to the source.

The Bodrum coast is a popular location for migrants to try to reach Kos, as it is the shortest sea journey from Turkey to European Union (EU) territory.

In the first five months of 2015, over 42,000 migrants arrived in Greece by sea, most of them refugees, according to the United Nations refugee agency.