Half of those that died in the latest accident off the Turkish coast are children.
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According to a first reconstruction of events worked out from their testimony, the migrants set sail from the Turkish seaside resort of Bodrum, in the southeast of the country, on board an old boat that capsized two nautical miles from the Turkish coast.
Some 80,000 refugees have been rescued off Turkish coasts this year alone, while more than 3,000 died on their way to Greek islands via Turkey.
Turkey struck a deal with the European Union on November 29 pledging to help stem the flow of migrants into Europe in return for 3 billion euros of cash for the 2.2 million Syrians Ankara has been hosting, visas and renewed talks on joining the 28-nation bloc.
An elderly refugee throws candy in the air shortly after she and other crossed the Aegean sea on a dinghy from the Turkish coast to the Greek island of Lesbos, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015.
They were taken to hospital in serious condition, suffering from hypothermia, the agency said.
The number of migrants around the world will no doubt rise, fueled by economic disparities, globalized markets and people seeking better lives, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said presenting the report.
According to the UN’s refugee agency, more than 950,000 people have reached Europe by sea this year.
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Over the past year, thousands have made short but perilous journeys across the Aegean in a bid to reach northern and western Europe.
