Turkey: 3 more migrant bodies recovered from lake

VAN, Turkey

Rescue workers on Wednesday recovered the bodies of six more irregular migrants from a lake in Turkey's eastern Van province after a boat carrying them sank late last month.

Turkish teams continue efforts to retrieve bodies from Lake Van, where a boat carrying up to 60 people sank on June 28.

So far, a total of 36 bodies have been pulled out of the lake.

Recovery operations are underway.

A total of five suspects have been remanded in custody over the sinking.

Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, the number of irregular migrants arriving in Turkey has declined.

However, more than 21,000 migrants have reached Van so far this year, according to Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

Of them, 16,000 were denied entry but 4,500 managed to enter illegally, Soylu added.

Turkey has been a key transit point for irregular migrants aiming to cross to Europe to start a new life, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

*Writing by Faruk Zorlu