Six Afghan children drowned when a rubber boat carrying immigrants sank off the town of Çeşme in Turkey's Aegean Coast early on Tuesday. Casualties in the latest deadly episode of illegal crossings from Turkey to Greece added to a death toll of 627 this year in the sea between the two countries.
Forty-five others survived the accident off the coast of the town located in the western province of İzmir. The Coast Guard, alerted by relatives of survivors, rushed to the scene and pulled the survivors out of the sea. Authorities have been combing the sea for other possible survivors or bodies as the news went to print.
The victims were children of various ages including an infant whose exact age was unknown. Their bodies were recovered from the cold waters of the Aegean, which has claimed the lives of 627 people according to International Organization for Migration (IOM) data published on Dec. 4.
Among the survivors was a 12-year-old boy identified as Mahdi, who was rescued shortly before he was about to freeze to death, while other survivors managed to keep afloat thanks to their life vests.
It was discovered that the bottom of the boat had disintegrated, most likely due to overcrowding as most migrants are forced to travel in dinghies with little space to reach nearby Greek islands.
Media reports said there were 18 children among the 65 aboard the small boat.
The site where the boat sank was the scene of another accident last week that claimed four lives including a child. The body of a 5-year-old Syrian girl identified as Sajida Ali washed ashore on Monday.
Migrants from the Middle East and Asia continue to risk their lives to reach Europe through Turkey, with neighboring Greece being the closest gateway to Europe. According to figures from the Coast Guard, more than 83,000 migrants were intercepted in Turkish waters this year. The number of migrants peaked in August when the Coast Guard intercepted more than 17,000 people but the numbers had dropped slightly for a brief period with the onset of cold weather. However, the aggravated conflict in Syria has contributed to a renewed surge in the number of migrants in search of a better life in Europe. Migrants often fall victim to human smugglers who defraud them and send them off to their deaths by supplying defective boats and life vests.
Authorities say Syrians comprise the majority of migrants attempting to cross into Europe. Turkey is home to more than 2 million Syrians who have fled the four-year conflict in their country. Turkey has spent more than $8 billion for their care. Though Turkey offers them shelter in state-of-the-art refugee camps, only a small fraction of Syrians stay in those camps while others who face poverty and an uncertain future head to Europe. Refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Eritrea, Bangladesh, Senegal, Somalia, Iran, Palestinian territories, Mali and Mauritania make up the remainder of refugees taking the Europe route.
