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4 Iraqi refugees, including 2 infants, drown off Turkish coast

Xinhua, December 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

Four Iraqi refugees, including two infants, drowned early Friday when their boat capsized off Turkey's Aegean coast, Turkish media reported.

The small boat was carrying 13 Pakistani and Iraqi refugees to the Greek island of Kos when it sank off Turkey's Aegean resort town of Bodrum, private Dogan news agency reported.

Turkish coast guards rescued eight refugees, while operations to find a missing one were still underway.

A Turkish man suspected of organizing the trip was detained by Turkish authorities, the report said.

Turkish coast guards have held around 500 so-called "hope mongers," who were carrying out smuggling activities in Turkey during the last five years.

Some 80,000 refugees have been rescued off Turkish coasts this year alone, while more than 3,000 died on their way to Greek islands via Turkey, the Turkish coast guard said.

Over 600,000 refugees have reportedly reached Greek islands so far this year, in a crisis that has alarmed the European Union. Endit