Migrant Crisis Europe Latest News 2015: Turkish Waters See Another 17 People Drown
The migrant crisis hitting European countries and its neighbors continues to worsen as 17 people were reported to have drowned after their boat sank off the Turkish coast.
According to BBC News, the victims were all thought to be Syrians and included five women and five children, as reported by local media.
While the dead have not yet been identified, another 20 people survived the turmoil, and were found wearing life jackets. The survivors had all been on the boat's deck. Turkey's Dogan news agency said those who drowned on Sunday were unable to save themselves as they were trapped in the boat's cabin. The boat is believed to have left the village of Gumusluk which lies near the Turkish resort town of Budrom, where 3-year-old Syrian migrant Alan Kurdi, whose pictures broke the heart of the entire world, died earlier this month.
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The boy's death has become an international topic and made headlines when images of his body washed up on the Bodrum beach was shared by millions of social media users.
About 300,000 migrants and refugees have traveled to Greece this year, while most of them have pushed onwards towards EU countries in hopes of finding peace and better lives after fleeing war and violence.
The International Organization for Migration says migrants reaching Greece have mostly set off from Turkey's Aegean coast and despite the risks, thousands are still trying to reach Greek islands, which are just a few miles away, and are embarking on the dangerous journey each day.
Meanwhile, some 500 migrants have been reportedly rescued from the Mediterranean this weekend as seven operations were deployed, which involved the Italian coastguard and navy, and a ship that was allowed for use by the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres.
The migrants were rescued about 80km (50 miles) off the Libyan coast and are thought to have come from Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. They are also believed to have left war-torn Libya three days before the rescue.
