REFUGEE CRISIS: 11 migrants drown off Turkey’s west amid rise in boat crossings

The bodies of the 11 migrants were found off Aydın’s resort town of Kuşadası at around 11 a.m. on Dec. 22 after a four-meter-long fiber boat bound for the Greek island of Samos capsized with Syrian migrants aboard.

The Turkish Coast Guard rescued seven other migrants involved in the incident from the sea and took them to the Kuşadası Public Hospital for treatment. The number of migrant attempts to cross the Aegean Sea into Greek islands as a step to reach European countries has seen an increase, according to new data gathered by the state-run Anadolu Agency, with data showing there have been few migrants able to afford safer transportation methods. Given that most of the migrants who risk their lives use dinghies to pass over the Aegean, few can afford safer modes of transport, according to the data. The choice of making a bid to reach Europe on a small and potentially dangerous vehicle such as an inflatable dinghy versus a more reliable and safer vehicle such as a jet-ski or even a private yacht often comes down to the amount of cash migrants are able to give to human smugglers, the data indicated. A large number of illegal migrants caught by the Turkish Coast Guard en route toGreece this year were traveling on 2,204 inflatable boats. This figure is far above the 392 boats from a year earlier, the mere 177 in 2013 and only 55 in 2012. Typically, more than 60 people can travel on one nine-meter-long inflatable boat and pay up to $5,000 each for the illegal and in many cases deadly trip. Those with more money prefer faster and safer vehicles, often pooling their money to use yachts or speed boats. Source: The Journal of Turkish Weekly See more at http://www.turkishweekly.net/2015/12/22/news/11-migrants-drown-off-turkey-s-west-amid-rise-in-boat-crossings/