18 refugees have drowned overnight after their boat sank in the Aegean Sea.
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Eighteen refugees drowned and 14 others were rescued as their boat capsized off Turkey’s Aegean coast, the media reported on Saturday.
The wooden boat was reportedly carrying migrants from Iraq, Pakistan and Syria to the island of Kalymnos.
The 14-meter-long (46-foot-long) vessel sank at around midnight Friday at a spot some 3.5 kilometers (2.1 miles) off the coast of the Turkish city of Bodrum, the Dogan news agency reported.
Fishermen had heard screaming and alerted the Turkish coast guard.
Kos and other Greek islands are located only kilometres from the Turkish coast, turning them into an attractive destination for refugees seeking to enter the EU.
A number of people were taken to hospital, with some said to be in a serious condition.
Many then risk their lives at sea to reach Greek islands, their first stop in the European Union before continuing to wealthier and safer countries.
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According to the latest figures released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), almost one million refugees have reached Europe’s shores so far this year, while more than 3,300 people have either died or gone missing in their perilous journey to the continent.
