Eight migrants, including 6 children, drown off Turkey
Nineteen migrants, including six children, drowned at sea near the Aegean city of Izmir while heading for the Greek island of Lesbos.
People smuggling operations probably accounted for the majority of journeys and likely earned at least 1 billion Swing said taking “anywhere from 2000 to maybe 6000 depending on how many members of the family and depending on which smuggling ring it is”.
‘The vessel, a 6-metre speedboat, sank under unknown circumstances, ‘ one of the officials told Reuters news agency. “They were in the water when they were spotted by a rescue boat”.
The island of Farmakonisi has a population of about 10 people and is close to Turkey’s coast. Worsening weather conditions in the winter make the trip even more unsafe.
The latest on the continuing flow of refugees and other migrants into Europe.
About 816,000 people arrived in Greece by sea and 4,000 people arrived in Greece by land. During an European Union summit on migration last week, Athens promised to speed up the construction of EU-assisted reception and registration centres, so-called hotspots, on five islands.
The war in Syria was particularly key in driving the numbers of people moving into Europe to levels not seen in half a century.
The Turkish coastguard recovered the bodies including several children from the sea, and were hunting for another two who were missing. Hundreds have died this year on this sea route.
Almost 3,700 others died trying to cross the Mediterranean.
The EU is grappling for solutions to the mass arrival of migrants, a lot of them Syrian refugees from Turkey. Germany’s strong economy has attracted many Europeans who are seeking jobs and a better life than is possible in the economically depressed Balkan countries, although many are being turned back because they are not eligible for asylum.