ISTANBUL, Nov 10 (AFP) - At least nine illegal immigrants drowned when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea off Izmir province in southwestern Turkey, Anatolia news agency said Wednesday quoting local sources.
A local official quoted by the agency said 20 people were apparently on board. Nine bodies washed up on shore while four survivors, including a Turk, managed to swim to the coast.
He said six of the immigrants were Somali nationals and 13 others from Mauritania.
He added that the group had set off from a nearby port to try to reach the Greek coast but their boat had capsized and sunk.
"The Turk among the survivors said he was a refugee but we believe he may have been a member of a people smuggling ring," the official said.
He added that the coast guard was searching for other victims.
Illegal immigrants from Asia and Africa try daily to make the sea crossing from Turkey to nearby Greece, a member of the European Union with a long, porous coastline, and dozens have lost their lives in the attempt in recent years.
11/10/2004 15:55 GMT - AFP