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AP Photo / Hurriyet
Coast guards search for survivors after dozens of illegal immigrants drowned when a fishing boat carrying them sank off the coast near the Aegean city of Izmir, Turkey, on Thursday.
Updated at 6:55 p.m. ET:
AHMETBEYLI, Turkey - At least 61 migrants including Palestinians and Syrians, more than half of them children, died after their overcrowded boat sank just off Turkey's western Aegean coast on Thursday, officials said.
Tahsin Kurtbeyoglu, governor of the coastal district of Menderes in Izmir province, told Reuters an initial investigation showed the small vessel sank around dawn due to overcrowding.
Evren Atalay / Anadolu Agency via EPA
Coast guards carry survivors of a boat carrying migrants that sunk off the coast of Turkey.
Its destination was unclear but the small Turkish town of Ahmetbeyli from where it set out is only a few kilometers from the Greek island of Samos. Greece is a common entry point for migrants trying to get into the European Union.
"The total death toll is 61, including 12 men, 18 women, 28 children and three babies," the governor's office in Izmir said in a statement.
Turkish media said the reason the death toll was so high was because the women and children were in a locked compartment in the lower section of the vessel, although there was no official confirmation of this.
Photos: Survivors of asylum boat reach safety in Indonesia
Kurtbeyoglu said 46 people had so far been rescued alive, including the ship's Turkish captain and assistant, who had been placed under arrest. He said there were no bodies left on the boat and he did not expect the death toll to rise any further.
The Izmir governor's office said the survivors were Palestinian and Syrian nationals and that they had been taken to Ahmetbeyli for health checks. Two people were admitted to hospital.
Turkish media said there were also Iraqis on the boat, although that could not be confirmed.
Turkey's position as a bridge from Asia to Europe, as well as its wealth compared with neighboring states, has long made it both a destination and a transit point for migrants from the Middle East and as far afield as Africa and South Asia.
Its location also means it is a major destination for human trafficking, according to the International Organization for Migration, which helps governments to combat illegal migration.
Syrians among the migrants
A record 1,500 migrants, mostly from Africa, died trying to reach European shores last year with uprisings in Tunisia and Libya adding to the numbers, according to the United Nations.
Chaos in Syria has prompted more to flee.
More than 200,000 Syrians have crossed into Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and especially Turkey since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad erupted more than 17 months ago.
From there, a determined and usually richer few press on to European Union borders, mainly into Greece, with most hoping for asylum further north.
Turkey is sheltering about 80,000 Syrian refugees near its southeastern border with Syria.
Reports: Somali Olympic sprinter died when migrant boat sank
Multeci-Der, a Turkish refugee rights group based in Izmir, said Syrians made up a growing portion of illegal migrants being caught in recent weeks in Greece after fleeing from Turkey.
"Asylum procedures must be fair, work quickly and be accessible to people. As long as this is not achieved, those people seeking asylum have no other choice than to be at the mercy of people smugglers," it said in a statement.
Television footage showed small boats and diving teams searching for survivors just off Ahmetbeyli. The boat sank less than 110 yards from the shore after leaving at around 5:30 a.m., officials said.
The Greek island of Samos is clearly visible from Ahmetbeyli, which lies in a popular coastal region frequented by foreign and Turkish tourists.
More news from around the world on NBCNews.com
About 130,000 immigrants cross Greece's sea and land borders every year, the vast majority via Turkey.
Greece received more than 1,000 migrants by sea last year, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Another 55,000 crossed the land border between Greece and Turkey at Evros, according to Greek government figures.
Greece opened a purpose-built detention center for illegal migrants in April, the first of about 50 camps that Greek officials have said will be completed by mid-2013.
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- Deadly shooting mars new Quebec premier's victory rally
- France sends aid, cash to rebel-held Syrian cities, source says
- Couple held hostage by pirates for 388 days to set sail on new journey
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Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
Leave a Comment:
"Migrants" ... or refugees.
Don't understand the rational for this. I just hope it wasn't based on some religious belief. In fact I just hope it isn't true since it wasn't confirmed.
Hurriyet Daily News reported that the Iraqi and Syrian migrants (mostly women and children)of KURDISH origin were being smuggled by the fishing boat into Greece (Turkey intentionally is flooding Greek islands as the entrypoint into EU- from Asia-ME)- their final destination was Great Britain. What should be investigated- is the Kurdish Iraqis/Syrians whom Turkey does not allow entry (Turkey is even stripping Kurdish members of parliament of their immunity because they talk to Kurds whom PM Erdogan's party designates as PKK (Kurdish Workers'Paerty)being a terror organization. These illegal boats in shipwrecks with their caego of humans being displaced/seeking better future/religious intolerance etc is the by-product of the Arab Spring. The boat hit rocks-started taking on water and sank very fast-overloadewd with over 100+ people.
gtouch
Don't understand the rational for this. I just hope it wasn't based on some religious belief. In fact I just hope it isn't true since it wasn't confirmed
---------- I'm with you Gtouch, but I think you and I both know the truth on that one, and it ain't pretty
mimi,
You sound like PKK PR person...
Add-on. None of the ship passengers of whom 61 are dead is a Palestinian. Kurds yes.
There could be a secret locked compartment to hide the people from authorities who may want to check the vessel.
At this time of economic turmoil, it is wiser to stay in Turkey instead of trying to get to Europe. Turkey has a vibrant economy and job prospects can be better for migrants, even though they may not be documented.
You look at these cases and we have people in the US complaining about petty things, who don't have any appreciation of America. Born poor in the US is better than what these people face.
Time for a cultural shift in Palestine. If the Palestinians were to secularize, and take power away from the Imams, like Ataturk did in Turkey, then there would be a rise in power and economics. If they accepted Isreal as a neighbor there would be another rise. If they outlawed religious bigotry, there'd be another rise, and no need to emmigrate as refugees. But I doubt any of this will happen in the near future. Religion and ignorance are self reinforcing anti-axioms.
Gtouch & myspellcheckerisbroken,
Take your preaching somewhere else, some people dont want to hear your fairy tales.
What the hell are you talking about? They're speculating on the story just as every single other person here is doing.
Ophotfoot (#1.9): Umm, I'm pretty sure you interpreted what you read from them completely wrong. Maybe you should try again.
Forget the politics and the religious fervor for one minute and think about the tragedy of bringing up 31 innocent, dead children, one by one. Then tell me all about the socio-economic, religious, and political reasoning behind it.
spencer and comommy,
What is the difference between two people speculating that religion caused 60 deaths without facts and a person speculating on the existance of a god without facts?
Like I said quit preaching your fairy tales.
Ophotfoot: That's where you're mistaken. They were simply saying they hope there were no religious reasons IF the women and children were locked behind closed doors. You edited your comment but I saw the original about the "from two probable atheists" part. Nothing about their comments imply whether they are religious or atheist themselves at all; maybe you're just being too sensitive and were too easily offended? What they hope isn't true is the women and children being locked up in the first place.
and I hope there is a god so when children and women and even men die they go to a better place... see how that works but when I say stuff like that people like them tell me to stop preaching fairy tales.. I guess maybe they are too sensitive and easily offended about god? Oh thats different.
The point I was making is free speech is a two way street not just for the athiest or agnostic hipsters. I just hope all the scientific minds got that part.
Thank you COmommy and Spencer. For anyone who has ever read my posts, it is known that I am in fact a Christian and do believe in God. What I was hoping for is that none of the women or children were locked up, for any reason actually, just as COmommy stated in her post. I am also not a very good Christian, so I will take this opportunity to say to Ophotfoot, BLOW ME.
That was funny!
Actually you defeated your point by telling them to "quit preaching". Trying to silence one side isn't an exercise in free speech it is the antithesis of that exact point!!
If you don't understand that this forum is specifically accommodating speculation then you are hopeless.
Now that is FREAKING outstanding Spellchecker.
My stance on spellcheckers response is not political, religious, biased and also no animals were harmed in the approval of said response. No federal monies were used in the issuance of this response and no copyright infringements have been violated. So hopefully this will not cause Ophotfoot to have hives, anal itching, loss of sleep or the use of a dictionary to look up the larger words used or to violate his cranial cavity with an actual thought and to allow said cavity to stay empty and pristine as is it's current state.
That's funny gtouch. You got a laugh out of me and that's not easy these days. Thank you!
Christians dont tell people to blow people... You are a george w. bush christian, which for the simple mind means you are not a Christian. I'll pray for your clever funny lost soul.
Damn Gtouch. That was hilarious.
106 people on what appears to be about a thirty foot boat (from the hull under water) Unbelievable and tragic.
Caption below a picture of a man carrying a body bag.
This is a tragic loss of life and I'm sorry for the victims, especially for all the women and children LOCKED BELOW DECK.
They were locked below deck because they were engaging in criminal activity...sneaking into another country. They were trying to evade authorities by hiding so they could rip off the citizens of whatever country they were ultimately heading for. No sympathy from me.
Somebody in the newsroom slipped. Because the article calls them "migrants" (where have we heard that term before?), but the caption on the photo tells a different story:
So sad how poorly some humans are treated in this world.
The idiocy of Islam once again. Lock those women and children below decks so the men don't become crazed at there sight. As the writer above said, sad how people are treated especially in Islam.
It is your imagination only that brings Islam to this tragedy.
That was an easy out!!!
Sure... hencrycol...sure.
History, common sense, and reality are what we base our conclusions on when it comes to Islam.
hencrycol.....Islam is a tragedy!
William-
Or you know, the craziness of a world that forced these people out of their homes and into poverty and refugee camps...
Nothing that Islam did compares to the carnage Christianity has done in the world.
Four-hundred Million murdered during the Middle-Passage. Genocide against the inhabitants of three of the world's six continents. The Crusades. Atomic bombs dropped on Japan. The Salem Witch Trials. The Jewish Holocaust. South Africa Apartheid System. Enslavement of Africans. Colonization & Occupation of India for half a millennium.
The list of atrocities committed under the banner of Christianity is endless.
There is another older than the hills superstition. Women are not allowed on boats/ships because they bring bad luck. If the captain and crew(?) could be paid enough (read a LOT), they might be willing to take them, but only if they could be hidden from the fickle gods that would wish ill on the boat/ship. It's a superstition still carried on to this day by captains all over the world. Not the best or the brightest, but looking at the circumstances of this disaster, I rest my case.
Koatz, these were not genuine Christ loving christians, and they used the Bible in a very twisted way for their own evil motives.
Koatz.....You Muslims never quit do you? The religion of peace, riiiiiiight! What a crock!!!! LOL
Victoria, please give us a list of the good that "genuine christians" have done throughout history?
Kroatz, dont forget the oppression of knowledge since the Dark Ages. Just imagine how much we would actually know of the REAL world if Galileo's FACTS werent supressed for decades.
On the actual topic of this article, this is a disgusting reminder on how far the human species still needs to go to find enlightenment.
The Christian Crusades only occured because of the Islamic carnage that was taking place at the time. The Christians finally had to fight back and defend themselves against the bloodthirsty Muslims who wanted to wipe Christianity off the face of the Earth. It has never stopped, it has only slowed down from time to time. Islam is the religion of hate and violence and we see proof of that in the news all the time. Recently 12 people were beheaded for having a party with loud music. Tell me again how peaceful and loving Muslims are. Muslims are murdering pigs and that's the way it is. I wish it were not true, but it is true.
Victoria,
What's changed?
First, it's *their*, not *there*.
Second, what drivel.
Did no one ever acquire context skills in Reading class that the reason for this cannot be extrapolated from the article?
It's an illegal immigrant smuggling operation!
I don't see anyone coming down on Catholics or Protestants as being *idiots* or *evil* when, say....a truck w/ a secret compartment & no a/c crosses the Mexican or Canadian border into the US in high summer....or a truck w/ a secret compartment & no heat crosses the Mexican or Canadian border into the US in the dead of winter....& dead bodies of illegal immigrants are found inside.
Same methodology. Different country.
These Syrians pd smugglers good money to get out of the Middle East & into Europe, same as other nationals do to get into the US via Canada (yes, it happens all the time, y'all are just too hopped up over the southern US border to pay attn to the northern US border) or Mexico.
The smugglers got greedy as they are wont, crammed too many onto the boat, & it capsized.
The women & children were hidden in the secret compartment for the same two reasons as they are when trying to achieve illegal entry into the US.
One, obvs, concealment; if stopped by any authorities, it looks like there's a lot less bodies on the boat.
Two, women & children are smaller than men & therefore more of them can be hidden in the secret compartment, making more $ per head for the smugglers.
I fear for the future of America when I see so many struggling to comprehend the contents of a basic news article written at the 8th gr level.
Context clues.
Process the information given in your head & reach a conclusion.
It's called higher order thinking skills. Use them.
OK, missed that one 1st time round, but I absolutely cannot permit dissemination of historical misiniformation to flourish.
What *Islamic carnage*? I would be very interested for you to offer actual historical citations of Muslims attempting to *wipe Christianity off the face of the Earth* back in the 1100s.
No, the reason for the Crusades was at Pope Urban's behest to *take back the Holy Land*.
Not that white Europeans had ever had possession of said Holy Land to begin w/; they just wanted it. It offended their Roman Catholic sensibilities to have Jews, Muslims, & ppl of color residing in Jerusalem, which was regarded as the *seat of Christianity*.
Never mind that said Jews, Muslims, & ppl of color had been born there & this was their native land. Jesus walked around there, so it *belonged* to Christianity. A Catholic *King of Jerusalem* was even appointed.
That was the sum total of the rationale for the Crusades.
Their rallying cry was *On to the Holy Sepulchure!*, ie, where Jesus was buried & rose from the dead 3 days after his crucifixion.
How dare those *infidels* be born & reside anywhere near holy Christian places!
And if you want to talk *carnage*....Richard I of England, AKA *the Lion-Heart*, had his troops brutally slaughter aprrox 2,700 innocent civilians at the Massacre of Acre.
This was a Syrian city the Crusaders had taken en route to the Holy Land....b/c of course, much like the American Indians, the residents of Asia Minor & North Africa didn't take too kindly to being invaded by fanatical Christians & defended themselves....& the victorious Richard demanded a huge ransom of Saladin, a Kurdish Muslim who was the 1st Sultan of Egypt & Syria, to *spare* these civilians.
Saladin was unable to raise the entire amt of $ Richard was determined to extort (the Crusades were also all about the profits & looting as well). He sent Richard word of this & pleaded for a time extension.
Richard was itching to capitalize on his victory & keep invading Syria, & he didn't want to drag his *hostages* along w/ his army or spare the troops to guard them at Acre.
So he ordered them out of the gates of Acre & they were set upon by his soldiers, who killed them all.
That's carnage.
So was the Conquest of Grenada, a Moorish (Muslim) community that had very peacefully co-existed w/ Europeans in the south of Spain (Gibraltar, as you ought to know, juts out to practically touch Morocco; in antiquity this entrance to the Mediterranean Sea was called the Pillars of Hercules) for centuries.
*Their Most Catholic Majesties* (an appellation bestowed upon them by the papacy) Isabella & Ferdinand, whose marriage had united the Iberian kingdoms of Castile & Aragon, got greedy & wanted all of Spain for themselves & *for God*....the Catholic God, of course, as there were no others allowed. It wasn't that lg of an area so they must not have been very good at it despite glowing historical accts to the contrary, as it took them over a decade to *drive out the infidel*.
Then they instituted the Spanish Inquisition to get rid of the few straggling Moors who were left, but mainly the Jews. Once convicted of *heresy*, of course, the Crown confiscated all their wordly goods, enriching them considerably, & then they consigned their victims to the auto-da-fe....they burned them at the stake in great public gatherings w/ much praying & cheering.
Now just who was trying to wipe what religions (plural) off the face of the Earth here?
The Crusades & all the persecution of Jews & Muslims that followed were most definately not implemented to stem any *carnage* or attempts to *wipe out Christianity*. They were carried out by Christian fanatics who believed there was only One True Faith & that anyone who was not a Catholic was an infidel dog who deserved death if they refused to convert.
Why do you think the Jews are sometimes referred to as *wandering tribes*? They were persecuted as much as Muslims wherever they went in Europe. When Protestant sects began breaking away from Catholicism, those folk were burned at the stake for heresy as well.
The motto of the Middle Ages & Renaissance as far as religion went was *Catholic, or die!*.
Get the history correct b4 trying to impart information.
shows what happens to illegal immigrants in Turkey
I agree with everything you said scar_tissue, but that said, I cannot believe that so many of you that posted here just skimmed over the tragedy and went straight to bickering over religion, history, etc. Not that these aren't valid points to argue, but we are arguing the usage of there, their and they're when 31 children died.
I don't know about any of you, but my heart hurt for these people, for their loss and the absolute despair that any mother, father or loved one must feel to expose your children to this posible fate. So, so sad. May whichever higher power you believe in hold them in their version of heaven. RIP to 31 little angels (my own leanings - not meant to offend anyone).
Scar Tissue - you rule!
I'm so tired of Catholics and other Christians who hear something once and parrot it as fact for the rest of their lives. I have a born again brother who will believe anything that comes from his preacher - he can't even accept that God and gawd (gaud) don't mean the same thing.
BTW; DG_W and I may have you beat on total amount of scar tissue - put some bolts in our neck and we could pass as Frankenstein. Simple minds will jump all over the Frankenstein reference - totally ignoring the main message...happens every time.
These refugees probably paid (or borrowed) a large sum for this trip. The captain should be charged with 60 counts of negligent homicide.
Too bad Turks don't have death penalty, trying to appease Europe.
wow...that's a shame about this tragedy. can't figure out why the captain would lock the door, just stupid i guess! this guy should hang at morning sun rise. what things people of greed will do for money. so sad about the kids...
SEMPER FI
DANNY P
Someone should fix the caption in the picture. Survivors don't come off boats in bodybags.
That's exactly what I was thinking!
Okkk....I'm like..... "R U Serious"? Not only is it in the caption but throughout the whole story. Can anyone say "EDITOR"? Maybe they don't know how to say or spell "bodies".
This story is written like those instruction you get when
you but something from over sees that has been translated over and over where
it will never make scents.
The journalistic duties have been outsourced to India.
sigh.
There is so much death, tragity and hate any more.When will it stop? Not till we learn who to go to in times of sorrow and in time of bliss. Return to God people!
Lyn - Religions are the main problem - accept the facts!
12/22/2012. The Big Enema.
Which God, Lyn... seriously?
What a horrible way to go...drowning and not being able to save your children. RIP...childern...RIP!
Wow! That water is really pretty!!!
This is just awful! Poor people, poor children and babies! How can this happen? They were "locked" in the lower portion of the boat? Are you kidding me? Possibly "religious" reasons?
Give us all strength! Religions will be the death of all of us.
RIP all who were lost. This is absolutely devastating.
Coyotes. Just like the Mexicans getting smuggled into the US. The Coyotes are stowing the illegals below decks and behind locked doors.
When your people are willing to risk death to leave your country, that says a lot about your country. I think the leaders of these countries need to start to rethink their policies before there's no one left to lead. Not everyone will agree with all the policies, but when they are willing to die to get away - there is something very wrong. My heart goes out to those who have lost their families/loved ones.
you know i do not understand what it is that some of you are trying to say. I do know that i am in tears thinking of those women trying to save their children and those children fighting for their lives. Yes i have kids and every time we take a ferry I always worry what if? two of them can swim but my youngest cannot so I could only imagine this tragedy. My heart goes out to them and the survivors for what they will have to remeber for the rest of their lives.
what a real tragedy this is. Most of them poor and with not help around.
I can't imagine the terror those children must have felt, and the helplessness those women felt knowing they couldn't save their babies. What a horrible way to go.
When you force upon a declining white race (whites are not having enough babies to replace themselves), massive numbers of non-whites, to share the same homeland/living space, the end result is the elimination of the declining white race. Its inevitable (what will change?)
How is this not white genocide?
“Genocide involves the attempt to achieve the disappearance of a group by whatever means. It does not have to be violent, it could be a combination of policies that would lead to a certain group dying out.” Fraser-PM Australia ‘75-83
M Fraser-PM of Australia 1975-83
Anti-racist is a codeword for anti-white
How is this not genocide?
white children, and who is attempting to achieve the disappearance of a group by whatever means? Stop being paranoid and fearful. LOL
Caucasians make up less than 5% of the worlds population. At the rate non-whites are pouring into Europe and the USA it won't be long until they are gone altogether. The USA is being taken over by hispanics form all over central and south america. Voting laws are all but ignored in this country, so in about 20 years we will have many hispanic governors and possibly a hispanic president. Then Spanish as the official language will be the law of the land. Step by little step caucasians will be gone. Look at the governments in South America and Africa and see how the people live, do you want to live like that?
The rats are taking over the house and there is no way to stop it. Paranoia??
Wow, I thought this article was about a bunch of dead people; not how white people are on the decline. I'm sure if you looked hard enough you could find the appropriate article to through these wierd comments at.
I'm compassionate but why do I not feel bad about this?
SING IT ; ; got that joy joy joy...down in my heart...down in my heart...
Are you stupid or what and you call yourself compassionate I guess you have not checked the meaning of the word. Jerk, you should have been on the boat too.
Tough break. Stay out of my country, period.
No Wonder greece is going broke. They should have their Navy patrol their waters and send those boats back to where they came from. Europe had better wake the Hell up too or else they are going to some day find the Majority of their population Muslim.
My condolences to all the family members of the deceased.
Greece opened its doors to immigrants. This sounds like they were making money off these people. Also it sounds like they were setting up another Ellis Island.
Well, I hate religion just as much as the next heathen, but I don't think locking the women and children below deck was a religious mandate from Islam. It was likely due to cultural reasons, or maybe pure ignorance. Or maybe the kids were pissing of the crew and running all over the place, so they locked them up.
Anyway, I'm no expert of Islam. But I'm fairly sure there isn't anything in the K'uran or Hadiths that call out locking up the women and children when on a boat.
How very sad! RIP lost ones.
Really? That looks like a body bag to me.
Ya think? Very observant.... :)
You are right, I think, ltrout. More poor msn editing.......