11 rescued after migrant boat capsizes off Turkey

By Dervis Comez

MERSIN, Turkey (AA) - At least 11 Syrians were rescued after their boat capsized off Erdemli district in Turkey's Mersin province, security sources said late Tuesday.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, have not identified how many are missing, but search operations are continuing in the area.

The discovery came after nearby fishermen saw a boat carrying irregular migrants sinking, the sources added.

Turkey has been a main route for refugees trying to cross into Europe, especially since 2011, when the Syrian civil war began.

Of the migrants held in 2017 in Turkey, the majority came from Pakistan, totaling around 15,000, followed by around 12,000 Afghans and about 10,000 Syrians. A 60 percent increase in migrant flow has been seen since 2016, when the number totaled 31,000.