ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Turkish coast guard uncovered the lifeless bodies of seven migrants and rescued 19 in a shipwreck in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Izmir on Tuesday, the interior ministry announced, and a search and rescue mission is underway to rescue another migrant.
“As a result of the search and rescue efforts carried out by the coast guard, a total of 19 irregular migrants, including 18 from an island and one from a fishing boat, were rescued in good health. Unfortunately, the lifeless bodies of 7 of the irregular migrants were found,” Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a statement.
A search and rescue mission is underway to find another missing migrant, Yerlikaya said, with several boats, a helicopter, and coast guard divers scrambling to rescue the migrant.
“We will continue our fight against migrant smugglers who cause the deaths of babies, children, and innocent people by selling hope,” the minister added.
The 27 passengers on board the boat were attempting to reach Greece, a major entry point for migrants from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia to Europe.
In June, twin shipwrecks off the coasts of Italy’s Roccella Ionica and Lampedusa left more than 70 migrants dead and missing. Most of the passengers were Kurds from the Kurdistan Region and Iran’s western Kurdish areas, as well as people from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, and Syria.
Tens of thousands of people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region take on perilous routes out of the country towards Europe on a yearly basis in hopes of escaping the endless crises in the country, including the lack of employment, political instability, and corruption.
Around 20,000 people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region left the country in 2023 and at least nine of them lost their lives on dangerous and illegal smuggling routes, according to the Summit (Lutka) Foundation for Refugees and Displaced Affairs.
