Health workers stand next to a body bag as members of the Coast Guard command conduct a search and rescue operation after a migrant boat sank off the coast of Bodrum, western Mugla province, Turkey, October 24, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS
At least 17 people drowned on Friday when an inflatable boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Turkey’s western Mugla province, the local governor’s office said, adding that a search and rescue operation was underway to find possible survivors.
In a statement, the Mugla governor’s office said an Afghan who survived the disaster and swam back to the mainland raised the alarm shortly after 1 a.m.
The Afghan national told emergency services that 18 people were on board the rubber boat, but it took on water and sank shortly after departure, the governor’s office said.
Search and rescue teams found a second survivor who had managed to reach Celebi Island, off the coast of Bodrum. They also recovered 17 bodies from the sea.
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“Search and rescue efforts for additional irregular migrants considered missing continue with four Coast Guard boats, a special Coast Guard dive team and a helicopter,” the governor’s office added.
The Aegean Sea is a frequent transit route for thousands of migrants trying to cross from North Africa and the Middle East to Europe, particularly from Turkey, which hosts millions of refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The number of irregular migrants arrested in Turkey peaked in 2019 at nearly 455,000 people, mainly from Afghanistan and Syria, according to the Migration Management Presidency. More than 122,000 migrants have been apprehended in Türkiye as of October 16 this year.
