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ISTANBUL, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Eleven refugees drowned on Friday when their boat capsized off Turkey's Aegean coast while attempting to reach a Greek island, Turkish media reported.
The boat carrying 22 illegal refugees departed from Turkey's southwestern city of Aydin, the private Dogan news agency said, noting Turkish coast guards had rescued seven refugees and were continuing the search for four others.
The cause of the sinking was not immediately clear, the report said.
In 2016, around 5,000 refugees lost their lives in the Aegean Sea on their way to Greek islands, according to press reports.
Irregular migration to Europe through Turkish shores has sharply fallen thanks largely to measures taken by Turkey along its Aegean coast under a deal inked with the European Union last year.
