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Five migrants drown off Turkish coast

Xinhua, March 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

At least five migrants, including a toddler, drowned Wednesday night when their boat capsized off Turkey's Aegean coast, Turkish media reported on Thursday.

The migrants aboard the boat included Afghan and Iranian nationals; they were trying to reach the Greek island of Lesbos, private Dogan news agency said.

The boat, which departed from Ayvacik in Turkey's western province of Canakkale, sank 500 meters from the Turkish coast due to bad weather, the report said.

Preliminary reports said the Turkish coast guard rescued nine migrants but two more remained missing, Dogan said.

The capsizing came one day after the Turkish and Greek prime ministers voiced their determination to prevent illegal traffickers and migration in the Aegean Sea.

Earlier this week, the EU and Turkey held a special summit in Brussels, where Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu asked for 3 billion euros (3.3 billion U.S. dollars) in fresh aid, in return for Turkey's help in stemming the flow of refugees into Europe and accepting those who went to Europe back to Turkey.

Over 80,000 refugees were rescued by Turkish coast guards in 2015 alone, while nearly 4,000 died on their way to Greek islands via Turkey. Endit