Two dead, 16 rescued after refugee boat capsizes off Turkey

Two women died and sixteen other mainly Iraqi refugees, including eight children, were rescued on Monday after their boat capsized off the southwestern Turkish coast.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab & agencies

17 September, 2018

Turkey is one of the transit countries used by refugees aiming for Europe [Anadolu]

Two women died and sixteen other mainly Iraqi refugees, including eight children, were rescued on Monday after their boat capsized off the southwestern Turkish coast, the coastguard said.

The coastguard intervened to rescue them after they were alerted early morning.

They rescued 15 Iraqis and one Syrian, the coastguard said in a statement, adding the bodies of the two women were found.

The refugees said 19 people were on board the boat initially and the search to find another missing woman continued, the coastguard said.

The boat had been on its way to Greece, according to state-run news agency Anadolu.

Turkey is the world's largest refugee-hosting country with over three million Syrians and up to 300,000 Iraqis.

It is also one of the transit countries used by those fleeing war and poverty to try and get to Europe.

The refugee influx hit its peak in 2015 when over a million people, including hundreds of thousands fleeing the Syrian war, landed in Greece from Turkey, mainly by boat.