Refugee crisis: 27 die off Turkish coast

At least 27 people have died after a boat carrying refugees sank off Turkey’s coast near the Greek island of Lesbos, according to the Turkish coastguard. A search operation was under way for nine remaining passengers. One person was rescued by a fisherman and three more were rescued by the coastguard, which said it had […]

At least 27 people have died after a boat carrying refugees sank off Turkey’s coast near the Greek island of Lesbos, according to the Turkish coastguard.
A search operation was under way for nine remaining passengers. One person was rescued by a fisherman and three more were rescued by the coastguard, which said it had deployed boats and helicopters to look for survivors in the Bay of Edremit.
More than 900,000 people fleeing Syria, Afghanistan and other wartorn or impoverished countries arrived in Greece from Turkey last year, often risking their lives to cross the Aegean Sea in overloaded boats. Hundreds have died in the attempt.
Meanwhile, Turkey and Germany have agreed on a set of measures to deal with the Syrian refugee crisis, including a joint diplomatic initiative aiming to halt attacks against Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.