Search under way for nine remaining passengers after boat sinks while on the way to Greek island of Lesbos

At least 27 refugees, including 11 children, drowned after a boat trying to reach the Greek island of Lesbos capsized two miles off the Turkish coast on Monday, the Turkish coastguard has said.



Three of the boat’s passengers were rescued by the coastguard, while a fourth was rescued by a fisherman. A search operation was still underway for nine others.

The boat sank in the Aegean Sea near the Edremit area of the north-western province of Balikesir, about two miles off the Turkish coast.



Tens of thousands of Syrian refugees remain stranded at Turkish border Read more

More than 850,000 refugees arrived in Greece via the perilous sea route last year, making up the majority of the more than 1.1 million refugees who reached the EU.

While many expected numbers to drop over the winter, refugees have continued to make their way across the sea despite low temperatures and heavy storms. Last month marked the deadliest January on record, with more than 250 deaths.

Turkey, a country that hosts about 2.5 million Syrian refugees, the largest such population in the world, says that it does not have the capacity to host any more. According to the Turkish government, almost 30,000 Syrians are currently waiting at the Turkish-Syrian border, fleeing an attack by government forces on Aleppo.



The Turkish government struck a highly controversial deal with the EU in November, under which the EU pledged €3bn (£2.2bn) and political concessions to Turkey in exchange for increased border patrols, a crackdown on human smuggling networks and irregular migration.

Local activists and NGOs have harshly criticised European migration policies and ever tighter border security.

“These accidents happen every day,” said Eda Bekçi, a lawyer who volunteers at the refugee aid group Mülteci-Der in Izmir. “Just a few days ago a boat capsized and nine people were killed. These people will keep leaving, and Europe needs to finally understand that shutting down their borders and increasing security measures will lead to more refugees dying on these borders.”

Turkey has put in place a range of measures in order to curb the number of Syrian refugees going to Europe, such as putting in place visa requirements for Syrians arriving from third countries.

The government has also agreed to grant work visas to Syrians living in Turkey. Over 400,000 Syrians are currently working illegally in the country, without insurance and for salaries below the already meagre minimum wage, according to a report published by the Turkish Confederation of Employer Associations (TISK) at the end of last year.

Ankara has also promised to designate human smuggling as a form of organised crime, a measure that would mean harsher punishment for perpetrators, but human rights activists warn that such crackdowns would only push refugee trafficking deeper underground, and that smugglers would try to find ever riskier – and deadlier – routes for those trying to reach Europe.

“It is high time for Europe to put in place legal ways to secure the safe passage for those desperate enough to risk the dangerous sea journey,” said Eda Bekçi. “We need practical solutions to stop more people from dying this way. It is clear that they do not want to stay in Turkey, as things stand.”











