Boat Capsizes Off Turkey, 18 Migrants Killed

BODRUM, Turkey (AP) – A Turkish news agency says at least 18 migrants have drowned and 14 others were rescued after a boat taking them to Greece sank off the Turkish coast.

The fatalities occurred on Saturday when a vessel en route from Turkey to the Greek island of Kalymnos went down.

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.

Turkish coast guards rescued eight refugees, while operations to find a missing one were still underway.

A record 500,000 refugees fleeing from the four-year civil war in Syria have travelled through Turkey.

A number of people were taken to hospital, with some said to be in a serious condition.

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

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 801 919 people have arrived in Greece by sea from the beginning of the year until December 17, with another 4256 having arrived by land.

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