70 immigrants feared drowned in Mediterranean
Greek and Turkish rescue crews worked together today to search for possible survivors from a boat filled with illegal immigrants that went down in the Mediterranean Sea.
At least seven bodies have been found in the chilly waters near the Turkish coast north of the Greek island of Rhodes and the death toll could rise.
Bad weather and high winds were reported in the area.
The lone survivor told Turkish authorities about 70 people were on board the vessel when it sank on Saturday.
The survivor said the 46 foot wooden boat, carrying illegal immigrants from Jordan, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, left the Turkish resort of Marmaris on Friday and was heading to Rhodes – 30 miles to the south.
The survivor, an Iranian man in his 20s, said the boat suddenly filled with water and sank.
The Turkish coastguard said it had so far only found pieces of a sunken vessel and empty life jackets.
Citing the Iranian’s account, the coastguard said a Turkish man had been on board but boarded another boat and abandoned the immigrants.
He had instructed the immigrants to steer the boat toward some lights, which he told them were on Rhodes.
After some time, the boat began to take in water. The immigrants tried to remove the water but panicked and the boat capsized.
Thousands of illegal immigrants from Asia, the Middle East, Africa and eastern Europe try to enter European Union-member Greece every year.
