35 dead as two migrant boats sink near Turkey

A sinking boat off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district (C)OzanKose/GettyImages

Two boats on their way to Greece have capsized near Turkey, killing at least 35 migrants, Turkish media say. Both the Anadolu and Dogan agencies reported that 24 people died close to the Greek island of Lesbos. Dogan said another 11 people died in a separate incident further south, near Dikili in Turkey's Izmir province. Up to 5 February, at least 374 people had died crossing into Europe this year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says. Most of those were travelling to Greece. The sea route from Turkey to Greece was the most popular way for migrants to try and enter Europe in 2015. Dogan reported that a number of children were on board the boat on which the 24 people died. At least four people were rescued, Hurriyet newspaper said.
News of the deaths comes as Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel is in Turkey to discuss ways of reducing the number of migrants travelling to Europe. After meeting Mrs Merkel, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Germany and Turkey would seek the use of Nato resources in the Aegean Sea and on the Syrian border to help handle the flow of migrants, BBC reports.