Deaths as refugee boat sinks off northwestern Türkiye

Twenty-two bodies of irregular migrants and refugees, including seven children, have been found after an inflatable boat sank off the coast of northwestern Türkiye, with search and rescue efforts continuing.

Ilhami Aktas, governor of the Canakkale province, told Anadolu Agency on Friday that "there is no reliable information about how many people were on the boat," which sank off the coast of Eceabat.

He added that four of the migrants survived the sinking.

"We are trying to determine the number of casualties. The survivors are being interviewed. There is some contradictory information [among the survivors]" he said.

The bodies of the victims were taken to hospital morgues by ambulance.

Two of the survivors reportedly managed to reach Buyuk Kemikli beach in Eceabat and told authorities of the incident.

Searching for other survivors

Seeking any additional survivors, more than 500 personnel are currently involved in search and rescue operations using an aircraft, two helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles [UAVs], and 18 Coast Guard Command boats.

Gendarmerie teams are also doing searches around the area of the beach.

Türkiye has been a main route for irregular migrants and refugees trying to cross to Europe, especially since 2011 Syrian civil war.