25,000 die in Med. Sea over past 8 years: Erdogan

By Cigdem Munibe Alyanak

ISTANBUL (AA) - Some 25,000 people, mostly women and children, have died in the Mediterranean Sea over the last eight years, the Turkish president said on Sunday.

“In the past eight years, 25,000 people, most of them women and children, died in the treacherous waters of Mediterranean,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the closing ceremony of the International Migration Film Festival via videoconference.

He said those people set out with a hope for safe future, however, most of the journeys ended up with death.

“Fate of some 10,000 Syrian children who sought asylum in Europe is unknown,” Erdogan added.

With Anadolu Agency being its global communication partner, the movie festival is supported by Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry, and organized by the Interior Ministry under the auspices of the Turkish Presidency.

*Writing by Sena Guler