Five migrants were killed and another critically injured when their boat collided with a Turkish coast guard vessel conducting routine patrols off northwest Turkey. One person remains missing.
Five people were killed on Sunday (September 7) when a boat filled with migrant passengers collided with a Turkish coast guard vessel off northwest Turkey, Reuters reported.
Local reports also cited the governorate of Balıkesir as saying that the migrant boat had been traveling at high speed when the coast guard boat, which was conducting routine sea patrols on the lookout for irregular migrants, approached it. This resulted in a collision between the two boats, which caused the passengers to go overboard.
Apart from the five casualties, one person was reported to have been seriously injured. A search and rescue mission retrieved the bodies, while the seriously injured person was taken to the hospital. A search is underway for one passenger still reportedly missing. In total, the boat was carrying 35 individuals, according to the local governor's office, cited by Reuters.
Local prosecutors have initiated an investigation into the incident.
Hub for irregular crossings into the Greek Islands
Ayvalık, a coastal town in western Turkey, is located in the Balikesir Province, which lies off the Aegean coast, opposite the Greek islands of Lesbos. Its geographical location makes it a popular tourist destination, and in recent months, an emerging hub for irregular migrants attempting to enter Europe through the Greek islands.
Last month saw the Greek and Turkish coast guards conducting a number of rescue operations in the waters of the southern Mediterranean and the Aegean. Greek authorities reportedly rescued at least 165 people, and the Turkish authorities rescued and apprehended more than 140 people.
Turkey and Greece have been in disputes over managing the irregular arrivals. Turkey has accused Greek authorities of having pushed them back into Turkish waters. Athens has consistently denied carrying out pushbacks.
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Changes in migration trends
In 2015–2016, Turkey became a major transit hub for people heading towards Europe on irregular pathways, with large numbers of refugees and migrants attempting dangerous sea crossings to Greece and other EU countries. This prompted the EU-Turkey deal in early 2016 which aimed to reduce irregular migration to Europe by having Turkey stop migrants from crossing to Greece in exchange for financial aid, visa liberalization talks, and resettlement of Syrians from Turkey to the EU.
According to the 2025 International Organization for Migration (IOM) Annual Report, Turkey is undergoing significant transitions in its migration patterns.
The report noted the decline in the number of Syrian refugees under temporary protection, but an increasing number of irregular migrants. The UN Refugee Agency cites Turkey as one of the largest refugee-hosting countries worldwide. The country shelters an estimated 3.2 million registered Syrian refugees along with roughly 222,000 people displaced by conflict, violence, and persecution.
Read AlsoMore Syrians return home from Turkey