Boats carrying dozens of migrants off Turkish coast sink, killing 4

Two boats carrying dozens of migrants sank off Turkey’s Aegean coast on Tuesday, drowning at least four people, Turkish media reports said.

The Turkish coast guard rescued 38 people and recovered the four bodies, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

It was not clear how many people were on the boats and coast guards were continuing to search off the coastal resort of Kusadasi for other possible survivors.

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Augean Sea waters bordering between Greece and Turkey is seen on Nov. 16, 2021. Two migrant boats carrying dozens of people sank off Turkey's Aegean coast Tuesday. While the coast guard rescued 38 people, four people died. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The rescued migrants were taken to hospitals to be treated for hyperthermia, private DHA news agency reported. Their nationalities were not immediately known.

Anadolu claimed that the boats carrying the migrants are believed to have been pushed back into Turkish waters by Greek authorities.

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Turkey frequently accuses Greece of engaging in the illegal practice of pushbacks — summary deportations of migrants without allowing them to apply for asylum. Greece denies that, and in turn accuses Turkish authorities of directing migrant boats to Greek waters.

Thousands of people — mostly from the Middle East and Africa — try to reach the eastern Greek islands from Turkey every year, seeking a better life in the European Union.