Turkey: 6 more migrant bodies pulled out of lake

By Mesut Varol and Necat Hazar

VAN, Turkey (AA) – Rescue workers on Friday recovered bodies of six more irregular migrants from a lake in Turkey's eastern Van province after a boat carrying them sank late last month.

Turkish teams continue to work to recover bodies from the Lake Van where a boat carrying up to 60 people sank deep into on June 28.

So far a total of 19 bodies have been recovered from the lake.

Earlier this month, three suspects were remanded in custody over the sinking of a migrant boat in eastern Turkey.

Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, the number of irregular migrants arriving in Turkey has declined.

However, more than 21,000 migrants have reached Van so far this year, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said earlier.

Of them, 16,000 were denied entry but 4,500 managed to enter through illegal means, Soylu added.

Turkey has been a key transit point for irregular migrants aiming to cross to Europe to start a new live, especially those fleeing war and persecution.