Refugees drown after boat sinks off Turkey

Eighteen people died, including children, after a migrant boat headed for Greece sank near south Turkey on Friday (local time).

Around 14 others were rescued after their boat capsized while it was heading to a Greek island.

Those rescued were taken to the hospital in Bodrum, many in serious condition, the agency said.

The wooden boat was reportedly carrying migrants from Iraq, Pakistan and Syria to the island of Kalymnos.

Most of the crossings originate from Turkey and in the first two weeks of December alone, 45 255 people reached the Greek islands from Turkey.

The vast majority of the 850,000 people who have made their way from the Middle East and Africa to Europe this year to escape war and poverty have entered via Greece, their initial stop in the 28-member European Union.

Over the past year, thousands have made short but perilous journeys across the Aegean in a bid to reach northern and western Europe.

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