18 refugees drown in Aegean Sea off Turkey

An elderly refugee throws candy in the air shortly after she and other crossed the Aegean sea on a dinghy from the Turkish coast to the Greek island of Lesbos, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015.

The migrants had left the southwestern Turkish resort of Bodrum during the night on board an old vessel which capsized around two nautical miles off Turkey’s coast, survivors said. There were 632 deaths in the Aegean up to December 14.

Turkish media reports that the boat is believed to have been making its way to the Greek island of Kalymnos.

On Friday, four Syrian children and one adult were also drowned when their boat sank.

The Commission proposed to establish a European border and coast guard to “ensure a strong and shared management of external borders to further increase security for European citizens”, the statement said. These Greek islands are closer to Turkey than to Greece and represent an attractive destination for migrants seeking to enter the EU.

Turkey struck a deal with the European Union in late November pledging to help stem the flow of migrants into Europe in return for 3 billion euros in aid. Hundreds have drowned in the attempt to reach the safety of Europe.

The UNHCR put the number of arrivals by sea at 956,683 and 3,625 reported missing or dead.