Some 18 people have drowned off the Turkish southwestern coast when their vessel sank late Friday, the Turkish authorities said on Saturday. Fourteen others were rescued, but the 18, including children, were found dead in the water, KUNA quoted the Turkish Coast Guard as saying in a statement. The wooden boat, packed with refugees, including Syrians and Iraqis, was on the way to the Greek island of Kos when it sank in Bodrum Bay. Several such accidents have taken place recently off the Turkish and Greek coasts, the last of which on Friday when eight people, among them five children, drowned on their way to Greece. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 781,000 migrants have arrived in Greece by sea since the start of the year, mostly from Turkey. There were 632 deaths in the Aegean up to December 14.
