Five Dead in Collision Between Migrant Boat and Turkish Coast Guard Vessel

 

On Sunday, a migrant vessel collided with a Turkish coast guard vessel at high speed off the coast of Turkey, killing five people and wounding one more. 

The collision occurred off Ayvalik on Turkey's Aegean coast, near the island of Lesvos. According to the governorate of the Balikesir region, there were 34 people aboard the boat, including the operator, and all aboard went into the water. Five bodies were recovered during the ensuing search and rescue mission, and one injured individual was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The Turkish Coast Guard periodically rescues or interdicts migrants off the coast of Ayvalik, which is just eight nautical miles (at the narrowest point) from Greek soil, where migrants have access to EU asylum claim opportunities. In December, the Turkish Coast Guard rescued 57 irregular migrants in four inflatable boats in the area; in that instance, the survivors alleged that they had been pushed across the boundary line by the Hellenic Coast Guard, a sensitive contention often raised by human rights NGOs and hotly disputed by Greece.  

Migration on the Aegean route is less intensive than it once was, but it remains risky for those who take it. According to the Daily Sabah, two migrants were found dead last week on the beaches of Rhodes, opposite the Turkish port of Marmaris and another popular destination for migrants seeking a better life.