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Migrant boat sinks off Turkey with 45 on board

Immigrants use Turkey as a gateway to reach the EU, via Greece

23 July, 15:33
(ANSA-AFP) - ISTANBUL, JUL 23 - A migrant boat carrying 45 people sank off southwest Turkey, prompting the coast guard to launch a search and rescue mission, the Turkish defence ministry said Friday.

The coast guard was searching for the missing boat "after receiving a tip-off" that it sank on Thursday some 260 kilometres (160 miles) off the coast of the holiday resort town of Kas, the ministry said in a statement. There was no immediate information on the nationalities of the migrants. Illegal immigrants often use Turkey as a gateway to reach prosperous European Union states, mainly via Greece. Many rely on smugglers and risk their lives through perilous journeys in overcrowded boats. In 2016, Turkey inked a deal with the EU to stem the flow of migrants to Europe. (ANSA-AFP).

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