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| Rescue members transport the bodies of victims in a boat sinking at a port in western Turkey, on Sept. 6, 2012. At least 58 people, including nine children, drowned Thursday when a boat carrying over 100 people sank off the Aegean coast in western Turkey, local NTV news channel reported. (Xinhua/Anatolia News Agency) |
ANKARA, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least 58 people, including nine children, drowned Thursday when a boat carrying over 100 people sank off the Aegean coast in western Turkey, local NTV news channel reported.
The boat carrying more than 100 people who had been promised refuge in Europe by smugglers sank after hitting rocks off the Aegean coast near the town of Ahmetbeyli in Turkey's western province of Izmir, according to the report.
Some 50 survivors, mostly from Iraq and Syria, managed to swim to the shore, said the report, adding that the captain of the boat and his assistant were rescued and detained.
The boat's passengers, who were allegedly trying to enter European countries illegally, were mostly women and children, said the report.
Search and rescue efforts are under way to retrieve the remaining bodies, the report added.
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