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At least six migrant children drowned Friday in two separate incidents off Turkey’s coast, local media has reported.
In a desperate struggle to reach Europe a vessel carrying 55 refugees, thought to be from Afghanistan and Syria, capsized amid stormy conditions at sea close to the town of Ayvacik in Turkey’s northwest coast. The boat was reportedly aiming to reach the Greek island of Lesbos.
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It is reported that four children were killed.
In a separate incident Friday, two sisters from Afghanistan, aged 3 and 1, drowned after their wooden boat, carrying some 20 people, sank en route to the island of Kos, according to the Anatolia news agency.
It is yet to be confirmed how many of the migrants perished, but Turkish news outlets say that six bodies belonging to children have been recovered from the sea.
Turkey has become a major transit point for migrants from war torn countries seeking refuge in northern Europe. It is currently hosting 2.2 million migrants, mainly from Syria and Afghanistan, and the steady flow of migrant shows no sign of letting up.
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A report by the International Organisation for Migration released Friday stated that 4,700 people arrived on numerous Greek islands each day on average during November.
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