An inflatable boat carrying a group of migrants has sunk in the Aegean Sea, Turkish officials said on Friday (March 15). At least eight people are reported to have died, including two babies. The victims' nationalities are not yet known.

Officials said two people were rescued by the Turkish coast guard and another two managed to make it out of the water on their own. Canakkale Governor Ilhami Aktas told Anadolu, a Turkish news agency, that four migrants were admitted to hospital early on Friday morning.

Aktas said a search and rescue operation was continuing with helicopters and planes.

The boat capsized off Turkey's largest island, called Gokceada or Imbros, which is located off the coast of the northwestern province of Canakkale.

It was unclear what had caused the vessel to sink.

More migrants departing from Turkish coasts

Turkey is hosting nearly four million refugees, mostly Syrians.

In 2016 the Turkish government reached an agreement with the European Union to prevent the refugees in Turkey from crossing into EU member states, in return for several incentives, including financial assistance.

In recent months, however, the number of Syrian refugees and other migrants, mainly from Afghanistan and Palestine, setting out in boats from Turkey has been increasing.

Some are intercepted by Turkish authorities and returned. The Associated Press reported Friday that at least 93 migrants attempting to leave the Turkish coast on boats this week were "caught" by the Turkish coast guard.

UN data show that the number reaching Greece is also rising: about 8,000 people have arrived in Greece from Turkey by boat since the beginning of this year.

Shipwrecks are common in the Aegean Sea, and migrants continue to lose their lives on the journey to Greece. 27 migrant deaths have been recorded in the waters of the Eastern Mediterranean since January 1, 2024, according to the IOM's Missing Migrants Project.

With AFP, dpa

Also read: More than 103 migrants intercepted by Turkish coast guard in Aegean waters