Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
December 8, 2015
Reports from Istanbul say six Afghan children, including a 6-month-old baby, have died after a boat carrying refugees capsized in the Aegean Sea off the western coast of Turkey.
The authorities say eight people who were in the boat early on December 8 were rescued near the city of Izmir, including a 12-year-old boy.
More than 500,000 refugees — mostly from Syria’s civil war, Afghanistan, and Pakistan — have traveled through Turkey and risked their lives in small boats during 2015 to reach Greek islands, the first stop in the European Union before continuing on to wealthier EU countries to the north and west.
Turkey struck a deal with the EU on November 29 pledging to help stem the flow of migrants into Europe in return for more than $3 billion in financial aid to help host refugees.
Based on reporting by Reuters, dpa, Dogan, and Anadolu