18 dead after migrant boat sinks near Turkey

Eighteen migrants drowned overnight when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea as it was heading for the Greek island of Kalymnos.

Fishermen who heard the migrants’ screams for help alerted the Turkish coast guard, who managed to rescue 14 people.

Refugees and migrants arrive on a dinghy from the Turkish coast to the Greek island of Lesbos, Friday, Dec. 18, 2015.

Davutoglu met German Chancellor Angela Merkel and some other leaders before the main summit on Thursday to discuss a possible scheme to bring Syrian refugees directly from Turkey to Europe.

There was also a commitment by the European Union to pressure third countries into either activating older reintroduction agreements or agreeing to readmissions, he revealed.

The wooden vessel, which was packed with refugees, including citizens of Syria and Iraq, was attempting to reach the Greek island of Kos when it sank in Bodrum bay.

Those rescued were taken to a hospital in Bodrum.

Despite the winter conditions and rougher seas, the exodus has continued but at a slower pace.

According to the UN’s refugee agency, more than 950,000 people have reached Europe by sea this year.

Two people, suspected of organising the journey, are said to have been detained.

More than half a million migrants have crossed the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece just this year.