Rescue of 14 Migrants and Search for Missing Persons in Turkey

The Turkish Coast Guard announced the rescue of 14 irregular migrants and the disappearance of 6 others due to the sinking of their rubber boat off the coast of Mugla province in the southwest of the country. The Coast Guard stated in a report today, Friday, that they received a distress call overnight from a rubber boat carrying irregular migrants after its engine malfunctioned off the coast of Bodrum. The statement added that the Coast Guard dispatched a vessel to the location of the boat and rescued 14 migrants, who reported that 6 individuals were missing. Based on this information, authorities deployed two maritime patrol boats, along with a helicopter, 3 vessels, and two diving teams to search for the six missing persons. The statement confirmed that search operations for the missing are ongoing. According to data from the International Organization for Migration, more than 3,000 migrants have gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea in 2023, marking the highest toll since 2017.