Following close on the heels of a recent tragedy in Turkish waters that claimed 50 lives, a vessel carrying around 17 would-be illegal migrants sank Monday off the coast of Bodrum, leaving seven dead.
The sinking took place around 12:30 a.m. approximately 500 meters from Gümbet Bay. Among the passengers were Afghans, Mauritanians and Palestinians, reports say. Nine illegal migrants were rescued by coast guard teams as they swam toward the shore. In addition to five bodies recovered from the sea, the divers also found two bodies on the sunken boat as well. The teams are continuing to search for the remaining migrant.
The bodies recovered from the water were sent to Bodrum State Hospital for autopsies. The survivors assisted the police in identifying their friends” remains.
The police discovered that a Turk named F.Ö, who was among the survivors, was also the captain of the boat. The survivors said they were trying to get to Greece. “The boat was very small; we were sitting in very cramped quarters. The boat capsized because it was overloaded. Three of those able to swim took the three life preservers and swam toward the shore.”
Bodrum official Abdullah Kalkan told the Anatolia news agency that the interrogation of the passengers revealed that there were around 17 people aboard the six-meter-long vessel.
The Muğla police took the survivors into custody after they were treated at a local hospital. They also announced that 10 men, including two Iranians reportedly linked to the tragedy in Bodrum, had been caught as well. The police did not release the identity of the passengers, noting that the investigation into the incident is still under way. A boat carrying at least 85 would-be illegal migrants sank off Turkey”s Aegean coast on Dec. 8, and over 50 people drowned.
33 illegal migrants caught in a truck
Meanwhile, a total of 33 would-be illegal migrants were caught hiding in a truck trailer in İzmir”s Karşıyaka district on Monday. The police took action after receiving a tip on a group of suspicious looking people getting on a truck. The police took 33 people into custody, including Palestinians and Mauritanians as well as the driver.
The police revealed that the would-be illegal migrants were planning to cross into Europe by a sea route through Aliağa. Several knives, life preservers and tire pumps were also discovered in the truck.
Meanwhile, another tragedy concerning illegal migrants has been reported in Yemen. The officers from the international NGO Doctors without Borders stated on Sunday that they have discovered the bodies of 56 African illegal migrants, including women and children, on the southern shores of Yemen.
The organization also announced that the boat had capsized near the coast of the city of Al-Irqa and that the bodies had washed ashore near the city, adding that 49 of the migrants traveling on the boat were rescued. Members of Doctors without Borders also noted that it is still unknown as to what happened to the remaining passengers.
The survivors of the tragedy said they had set out from Bossaso, a coastal city in Somalia, in an eight-meter vessel three days ago. There were reportedly a total of 149 Somalis, including 40 women and five children, on the boat.
In addition, the survivors noted that due to lack of sufficient food and water, four people died during the voyage. They said as they approached the coast, the owner of the vessel was forced to jump into the water; this caused a panic, thus capsizing the boat.
