At least 14 useless after migrant boat sinks off western Turkiye

At least 14 individuals drowned when a rubber boat carrying migrants sank off Turkiye’s western province of Mugla on Friday (October 24, 2025), the native governor’s workplace stated, including {that a} search and rescue operation was underway for potential survivors.

In an announcement, the Mugla Governor’s Office stated an Afghan man who survived the catastrophe and swam again to the mainland had raised the alarm shortly after 1:00 a.m.

The Afghan nationwide advised the emergency providers that 18 individuals had set out on the rubber boat, however that shortly afterwards it had taken on water and sunk, the Governor’s workplace stated.

Search and rescue groups discovered a second survivor who had managed to succeed in Celebi Island off Bodrum. They additionally retrieved 14 our bodies from the ocean.

“Search and rescue efforts for other irregular migrants considered missing continue with four coast guard boats, one coast guard special diving team and one helicopter,” the Governor’s workplace added.

The Aegean Sea is a frequent transit route for hundreds of migrants making an attempt to cross from North Africa and the Middle East into Europe, notably from Turkiye which hosts tens of millions of refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The variety of irregular migrants caught in Turkiye peaked in 2019 with almost 455,000 individuals, primarily from Afghanistan and Syria, in response to the Presidency of Migration Management.

More than 122,000 migrants have been apprehended in Turkiye as of October 16 this 12 months.