Bodies of at least 21 refugees washed up on Turkish shores on Tuesday after the boat they were travelling in capsized. Three children were among those who had drowned.

Some bodies were found washed up on Turkey's Aegean coast, following which the Turkish coast guard rescued eight refugees, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

The refugees were reportedly trying to reach the Greek island of Lesbos.

The drowning of a two-year-old boy on Sunday became the first known refugee casualty of this year, after one of the deadliest years for refugees fleeing conflict areas in the Middle East and Africa.

In 2015, more than one million migrants and refugees arrived in Europe by sea, and at least 3,770 died while trying to cross the Mediterranean, according to the International organisation for Migration.