14 refugees die in boat sinking tragedy off Turkey shore

“Humanity is watching from the sidelines”, AFP quoted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying on hearing of the latest tragedy.

More than 1,100 refugees were rescued off the coast of Lesbos, Kos and surrounding islands this weekend during 28 separate incidents of search and rescue.

The wooden boat went down in the eight-kilometer stretch of water separating Lesbos from the Turkish coast, news agency Dogan reported. Regional governor Hamza Erkal said, “The boat took a hit, it began to take in water but nevertheless continued on its route”. However, there was no immediate information on their nationalities.

In Malta, European and African leaders will meet on Wednesday to discuss the migrant issue, with the EU hoping that pledges of cash to a few of the world’s poorest countries will help discourage others from making the journey. Must there be another Aylan for the world to wake up. Last month, the European Union announced a refugee cooperation deal with Turkey including a possible three billion euros (USD 3.3 billion) in aid.

Since January, 806,000 people have made the perilous sea journey to Europe, with a few 660,700 of them arriving in Greece and 142,400 landing in Italy, new figures from the United Nations refugee agency showed.

Greece on Thursday said the only effective way to stem a flow of refugees and migrants to Europe from the Middle East and beyond was through Turkey, one of the first points of arrival for thousands after fleeing their homes.