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Turkey: Boat carrying 45 migrants sinking in Aegean Sea

ISTANBUL — A boat carrying 45 migrants was sinking in the southeastern Aegean Sea and rescue units were deployed, Turkey’s defense ministry said Friday.

The ministry tweeted that the boat ran into trouble about 60 miles south of the Greek island of Karpathos. It said two ships and one plane was involved in the rescue attempt.

Commercial ships were also issued “search sectors” through a marine announcement system.

Migrants have tried to cross the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece in the hopes of starting new lives in Europe. The journey is a deadly one.

A migration deal between Turkey and the EU, which was reached in 2016, helped stem refugee flows but many still attempt the dangerous sea routes to try to reach one of the Greek islands.

 In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020 file photo, a Turkish coast guard vessel approaches a life raft with migrants in the Aegean Sea, between Turkey and Greece.
In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, file photo, a Turkish coast guard vessel approaches a life raft with migrants in the Aegean Sea, between Turkey and Greece. AP