Seven migrants drowned off the coast of Turkey on Friday after they reportedly jumped from a boat when authorities tried to intercept them. The group was attempting to reach Greece.
The migrants were traveling in an inflatable dinghy and hoping to cross the roughly 15-kilometer stretch of sea between the Turkish coast and the Greek island of Samos, stated the Turkish coast guard on Friday (January 17).
The migrants drowned after falling overboard, reported the French news agency Agence France Presse (AFP). They are believed to have left the Turkish seaside resort of Kusadasi, about 100 kilometers south of Izmir, late on Thursday evening.
Turkish media reported the migrants had "jumped into the sea when coast guards attempted to stop the boat, leading to their drowning."
According to AFP, as the coastguard tried to intercept the boat, seven of the passengers fell in the water and three bodies were found shortly afterward. Another 18 adults and 13 minors were rescued unharmed.
Four bodies were found later on Friday, confirmed a statement from the Turkish coast guard.
The Greek English-language newspaper Greek City Times underlined that the interception had been carried out by the Turkish coast guard and not the Greek authorities.
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Multiple rescues and interceptions
Over the weekend, the Turkish coast guard also reported having rescued 25 adult migrants along with 11 children off the coast of Izmir’s Seferihisar district on January 18. On its website, it said the boat had reported an engine breakdown and had been drifting and called the coast guard for help.
In fact, the Turkish coast guard has released several statements a day since last Friday detailing interceptions and rescues. On January 16, they intercepted an inflatable boat with a glass-fiber hull off the coast of Izmir’s Seferihisar district. On board, stated the coast guard, were 19 irregular migrants and 13 children as well as "one smuggling suspect."
On January 17, in the morning, another group of 23 adults and nine children were found on board an inflatable boat off the coast of Canakkale Ayvacik district, stated the Turkish coast guard.
In total, since January 16, the Turkish coast guard said they have intercepted or rescued 130 adults and 57 children on six different boats.
In 2024, 173 migrants were recorded as dead in the eastern Mediterranean. In the last decade, 2,602 migrants have died on that route since 2014.
In September 2024, the Turkish authorities said they had stopped over 190,000 attempts to reach Europe by boat since 2020.
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