Eleven Syrian refugees drown in Turkish waters

At least nine Syrian refugees trying to reach Greece drowned early Wednesday when two boats sank in Turkish waters, a Turkish coastguard official said.

A Turkish official said that three migrants were rescued and six more were missing after a fibreglass boat, which was carrying 16 Syrians, sank after leaving Turkey's Bodrum peninsula for the Greek Aegean island of Kos.

The bodies of seven refugees from the boat were found, the official told AFP.

In a separate incident, four Syrian refugees including one woman and three children drowned as another boat heading for the same Greek island sank just off Bodrum, according to local news agencies. 

Two people were rescued and search operations were continuing for the two others still missing.

In both accidents, the coastguard was mobilised after hearing cries for help from the sea.

There has over the last week been a dramatic spike in the numbers of refugees, mainly from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Africa, seeking to leave Turkey by sea for Greece in the hope of finding new lives and sanctuary in the European Union.

The Turkish government said on Tuesday that the coastguard rescued over 42,000 refugees in the Aegean Sea since the beginning of 2015 and more than 2,160 in the last week alone.