The nationality of the victims is not yet known. Officials previously said two people were rescued by the Turkish Coast Guard, while two others managed to escape on their own.
The boat capsized off Turkey’s largest island, Giocceada, off the coast of northwestern Canakkale province.
“The Turkish coast guard found the bodies of 22 people, including seven children,” the local governor’s office said in a statement.
One plane, two helicopters, a drone, 18 boats and 502 personnel were deployed in the search and rescue operation.
Almost 4 million people live in Turkey. refugees, mostly Syrians.
Scores of migrants try to reach the Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast by boats and small boats, hoping to eventually reach the more prosperous countries of the European Union, although many die on the perilous journey across the sea.
Officials said the ship began sinking overnight, and many ambulances were stationed at the port of Kabatep near Gekceada on Friday.
Attempts by migrants to cross the waters between Turkey and Greece have increased in recent weeks.
Turkey’s coast guard said it had rescued or detained several hundred migrants, including children, trying to cross to Greece since the start of the week.
More arrivals
The European Union’s border protection agency Frontex reported this week that, according to preliminary estimates, 31,200 people illegally crossed the bloc’s border in the first two months of this year, which is similar to the number a year ago.
The eastern Mediterranean, which is the second busiest migration route following West Africa, saw more than double the number of migrants detected in the first two months of this year to 9,150.
The Mediterranean Sea has been the center of migrant flows from Africa and the Middle East to Europe for several years.
The largest influx of migrants was in 2015, when many of them sought refuge in Europe following fleeing the unrest in the Middle East caused by the Syrian civil war.
In 2016, Ankara struck a deal with the European Union to stem the flow of refugees in exchange for several incentives, including financial support.
The issue of illegal migrants is a sticking point in relations between NATO members Turkey and Greece, which are already embroiled in long-running disputes over everything from gas exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean to the divided island of Cyprus and claims to the Aegean Sea.
Greece also often accuses Turkey of letting migrants through the common border and at sea.
Ankara, for its part, accuses Athens of illegally pushing migrant boats.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who visited Athens in December, agreed to open a new page in relations and begin to jointly solve mutual problems, including illegal migration.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is likely to visit Ankara in May, where the issue of migrants will be a major focus.
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2024-04-09 10:40:41
