Νέο ναυάγιο πλοιάριου με τουλάχιστον 24 νεκρούς, σημειώθηκε στα βόρεια
της Κωνσταντινούπολης, όπως μεταδίδουν τουρκικά μέσα ενημέρωσης.
Μαρτυρίες από επιβαίνοντες στο πλοιάριο οι οποίοι έχουν διασωθεί, αναφέρουν ότι στο σκάφος επέβαιναν περίπου 40 άνθρωποι.
Σύμφωνα με το τηλεοπτικό δίκτυο NTV, είναι σε εξέλιξη έρευνες στην
περιοχή του ναυαγίου, κοντά στην έξοδο του Βοσπόρου προς την Μαύρη
Θάλασσα.
At least 24 migrants have died while many are missing after a boat
carrying refugees capsized off Istanbul’s northern coast in the early
hours of Nov. 3.
Seven people have been rescued by fishermen and
Turkish coast guards were dispatched to the area, while 24 bodies have
been pulled from the sea near the site of the incident so far, Turkish
Coast Guard officials said.
The boat was carrying 42 Afghan
refugees and a Turkish smuggler, and security officials said there were
12 children and seven women among the refugees.
The accident took place near Rumeli Feneri, a small village at the confluence of the Bosphorus and the Black Sea.
Seven
coast guard boats, a helicopter and a special team of divers are
assisting the rescue work, officials have said, while fishermen have
also been assisting.
“The wind is making our task very
difficult. The boat is a very small one, it’s in fact just a small boat.
But they were carrying 40 people in it. We are seeing bodies of
children floating in the sea,” said Ali Saruhan, one of the rescuers in
the area.
The refugees were believed to be heading to Romania.
According to claims, they paid 7,000 euros each to human traffickers in
their desperate attempt to reach Europe.
A local fisherman suggested that the migrant boat was hit by a vessel. "The
weather wouldn’t have damaged the boat. So probably a boat hit it, as it
sank in a place where there is a lot of traffic," said Emre Can Kolcu.
An investigation has been launched into the incident, with two prosecutors dispatched to inspect the scene.
Dozens of boats have capsized in the Aegean and Mediterranean Sea over
the last year, but few have been reported transiting near the Bosphorus.
Just two months ago, a boat carrying 82 migrants was rescued by
the Turkish Coast Guard off the northern coast of Istanbul. The
refugees, mostly Syrians and Afghans, were also reportedly headed to Romania.
'Bodies of babies floating'
Fishermen
who witnessed the accident said all the bodies were found with life
jackets. “Those people [the smugglers] should stand in a war tribunal.
There were bodies of babies floating in the water. We didn’t manage to
pull them out,” said Kadir Sert, one of the first fishermen to arrive at
the scene.
Another fisherman also said they saw many bodies
floating in the sea as they approached the capsized boat. “We saw
someone struggling in the sea. He had a life jacket but was alive. We
pulled him out. His sister was next to him, but she wasn’t alive. We
also pulled out a three or four-year-old girl. Unfortunately she wasn’t
alive. A man aged about 25 who we rescued was crying ‘my brother’ in
Turkish. He was in shock,” said Salih Bayraktar, another fisherman.
The number of migrants trying to reach Europe
through the risky sea route via the western and southern Turkish coasts
has dramatically increased in recent years, particularly since the
beginning of the civil war in Syria. Tens of thousands migrants have
also attempted to cross the Greek and Bulgarian borders by land.
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