Istanbul _ Agencies
The Turkish coast Guard on Monday announced the sinking of a boat carrying 15 migrants off the western coast of Turkey in the Aegean Sea, adding that the search for survivors is still ongoing.
The authorities had received a communication regarding the incident off the coast of the Dekele area of Izmir Province, after two survivors had been able to swim ashore.
In a statement, the Coast guard said that 13 migrants, including three children, were still missing.
The survivors were quoted as saying that the boat was carrying 14 Afghans and one Iranian.
The Dekele area is close to the Greek island of.
Migrants continue to exploit Turkey as a starting point in their attempt to reach Greece, a member State of the European Union.
The European Union (EU) agreed with Turkey in 2016 to tighten Ankara´s control over the influx of migrants in exchange for financial aid to support refugees hosted by Turkey on its territory.
