At least 25 migrants including children died on Sunday when their wooden boat capsized in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece, the Turkish coastguard said. Fifteen migrants were rescued following the capsizal off the coastal town of Didim in south-west Turkey. Ten out of 25 dead were children.
Contacted by AFP, a Turkish official, who previously put the toll at 18, confirmed the latest figure, saying the coastguard had found seven more bodies. The nationality of the migrants was not immediately known.
The coastguard, backed up by three boats and one helicopter, was still searching for more survivors, it said.
The tragedy comes a day before a crucial summit between Turkey and European Union leaders in Brussels.