Turkish Coast Guard: 100 days since last refugee death

IZMIR, Turkey (AA) - There have been no refugee deaths in Turkey’s Aegean waters in the last 100 days, according to figures obtained from the Turkish Coast Guard.

The EU-Turkey deal on refugees was signed on March 18 and was marked with an immediate drop in the number of people seeking to reach the Greek islands off Turkey’s western shores.

The agreement was aimed at breaking the people-smuggling gangs that had been trafficking refugees across the Aegean Sea in often unseaworthy boats. According to Coast Guard data, 521 refugees died of hypothermia or drowning in Turkish territorial waters between 2014 and March.

The first three months of 2016 saw 173 die, while 279 died in 2015 and 69 died in 2014.

The service reported that refugee voyages from western Turkey fell by more than 90 percent after the deal was signed.

The agreement on refugees allows for Greece to return “irregular” migrants to Turkey in exchange for Syrian refugees from camps in Turkey. It also promises the acceleration of Turkey’s EU membership bid and visa-free travel for Turkish nationals within the Schengen area.