Turkish authorities yesterday found bodies of at least 36 migrants, including several kids, washed up on beaches and floating off its western coast after their boats sank while crossing the Aegean Sea to Greece
Istanbul: Turkish authorities yesterday found bodies of at least 36 migrants, including several kids, washed up on beaches and floating off its western coast after their boats sank while crossing the Aegean Sea to Greece.
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A migrant child washed up ashore in Balikesir’s Ayvalik district on January 5. Pic/AFP
The tragedies, the deadliest so far reported in the Aegean in 2016, come as the EU seeks to push Turkey to halt the flow of migrants across its borders in exchange for financial help.
It was not immediately clear how many boats had sunk in the high seasonal winds although the local media reported that at least two separate incidents were involved.
The bodies were found either washed up on the beach near the resort of Ayvalik or in the sea. Eight more migrants had been rescued.