Irregular migrant found dead off coast of western Türkiye

IZMIR, Türkiye

The body of one of two irregular migrants who were reported missing after their rubber boat sank off the coast of Cesme district in Türkiye’s western Izmir province was found Tuesday.

The search for the migrants following the boat accident Monday continued from the early hours of Tuesday.

Marine police, divers and helicopters affiliated with the provincial police department supported the search efforts carried out by helicopters and boats affiliated with the Turkish Coast Guard Command.

As a result of their efforts, the teams found the body of one of the migrants, bringing the number of deaths in the boat accident to six.

Efforts are continuing to find the other migrant, who is considered lost at sea.

Two suspected migrant smugglers were also arrested.

On Monday, a Coast Guard team was dispatched to the region upon receiving information that a rubber boat with irregular migrants had sunk off Cleopatra Bay in Cesme district.

It was determined that five of the migrants made landfall and a foreign national at sea was rescued by Coast Guard teams.

The teams found the bodies of five people -- four in the sea and one on land.

After foreign nationals reported there were 13 people on the boat before it sank, a search was launched for two irregular migrants who were considered lost at sea.

In the operation carried out in line with the information provided by the migrants, a suspected migrant smuggler was arrested while another suspect was detained.

Earlier in the day, Coast Guard crews rescued 18 irregular migrants off the coast of Türkiye’s western Mugla province and 59 refugees off the coast of Izmir, while 23 irregular migrants were rescued off the coast of northwestern Canakkale province.