ANKARA, December 10 (RIA Novosti) - At least 53 people drowned when a boat carrying illegal migrants sank off Turkey's west coast in the Aegean Sea two days ago, the national NTV channel reported on Monday.
On December 8 the 15-meter (49-foot) boat, reportedly heavily overloaded, set off from the Sererihisar port in Turkey's western province of Izmir, for Greece. The vessel ran into rough weather and capsized.
Seven of the 85 people on board have been rescued, and 25 have been reported as missing, officials said. Most of the passengers were of Palestinian, Somalian and Iraqi origin.
Turkey is one of the main transit countries for illegal migrants from the Middle East to Europe. The European Union, which Turkey wants to join, has repeatedly urged Ankara to bring illegal immigration through its territory under control.
