A tragedy struck off the coast of Karaburun, İzmir, late Sunday when a rubber boat carrying irregular migrants capsized, leaving four dead and at least two rescued alive, according to the Turkish Coast Guard Command.
Authorities said a distress signal was received from the vessel in the Aegean Sea, prompting an immediate large-scale search and rescue mission.
The operation deployed a Coast Guard helicopter, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a patrol ship, and five boats, which scoured the area through the night. After hours of intense efforts, rescuers pulled two migrants from the water alive and recovered the bodies of four others.
Based on survivor accounts, officials fear more passengers may still be missing. The search remains ongoing, with the İzmir Provincial Gendarmerie Command joining Coast Guard teams in combing the waters.
The incident underscores the perilous journeys undertaken by migrants who attempt to cross the Aegean Sea in overcrowded, unseaworthy boats, often with fatal consequences.
