At least 31 killed as boat carrying illegal migrants sinks off Turkey

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A boat carrying at least 60 illegal migrants has sunk off Turkey's Aegean coast and at least 31 bodies have washed up on the shore, officials said Monday. The boat is believed to have capsized and sunk Saturday off the coast of Seferihisar, south of the city of Izmir, local governor Orhan Sefik Guldibi said. Six of the migrants were rescued late Sunday. Guldibi said rescuers had so far recovered 31 bodies that had washed ashore. The migrants were aboard a 15 meter-long, overcrowded boat and were traveling in rough weather, Guldibi said. Two of the survivors were Palestinians, but there was no immediate information on the other migrants' nationalities.