Twenty-one people drowned and up to 15 more were missing on Friday after a fishing boat carrying migrants sank off Turkey's Black Sea coast, the coast guard said. Forty migrants were rescued but search and rescue efforts were still under way to find seven to nine people missing in the incident off the Kefken district, the statement said. The area lies about 130 kilometres (80 miles) east of Istanbul.
One pregnant woman who was rescued was taken to hospital but lost her baby, state-run Anadolu news agency said. Mehmet Unal, a local official in the nearby town of Kandira, said the boat was believed to be carrying 70 migrants, most of whom were Iraqis.
Unconfirmed media reports said the migrants had boarded the boat in Zonguldak which lies further to the east, and were trying to cross into Romania. The boat reportedly sank due to bad weather and rough waters. Western Turkey and the Black Sea had been hit by a heavy storm and rains overnight. Turkey has emerged as a hub for migrants from trouble zones around the world including Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan who are seeking a route west to the European Union.
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