Seventeen Migrants Killed When Boat Sinks off Turkish Coast

The refugee crisis has become a current issue since September 2, when a dozen Syrian refugees, including eight children, drowned after their boat sank en route to Greece.

A boat carrying Syrian refugees from the town of Bodrum in Turkey’s Muğla province to the Greek island of Leros almost 40 kilometers away has sank in the waters of the Aegean Sea.

The refugees drowned when they failed to get out of the boat’s cabin, the news agency said.

At least 20 Syrians were rescued by the Turkish coast guard after the wooden boat carrying 37 asylum seekers capsized.

All were wearing life jackets.

All the refugees were later taken to the Turkish Coast Guard Command from where they were expected to be deported.

The area around Bodrum is a common setting-off point for people desperate to reach Europe, who continue to risk unsafe journey in often rickety boats rather than attempting to cross Turkey’s highly fortified land borders with Greece and Bulgaria.

A popular tourist destination the region is part of the larger Bodrum peninsula, the same place last month the body of drowned toddler Aylan Kurdi found, that sparked worldwide outrage. There have been 227 deaths in the Aegean Sea, the group said.

Most are fleeing conflicts and misery in Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Africa.