Dozens of children die in asylum boat sinking
Date September 8, 2012
AS MANY as 31 children drowned when a boat laden with migrants from the Middle East apparently trying to get to Britain sank off the Turkish coast, with the loss of 60 lives.
The fishing vessel, packed full with people, went down in the eastern Mediterranean.
In an area where dangerous and overcrowded boats are frequently used to carry migrants, the incident was among the worst in recent years.
The vessel appears to have hit rocks a few hundred metres from the shore, sinking rapidly. At least half of the dead were children, apparently because many were on the lower deck when the collision took place.
About 45 survivors, who appear to have been on the upper deck, were able to swim to safety, reaching the Turkish province of Izmir. Those on board included Iraqis, Syrians, Palestinians and citizens of other countries in the Middle East.
Migrants said they had been travelling from Izmir, where they had linked up with human traffickers with hopes of making their way to Britain, CNN Turk television reported.
Thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East cross the Mediterranean every year en route to Europe, with Turkey being a chosen transit point. The illegal voyages, often organised by people smugglers in return for extortionate sums of money, can be extremely dangerous. Britain is the favoured destination of many.
Two Turks have been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle people on the stricken vessel to the Greek islands. Such perilous journeys take place because legal avenues for refugees to enter Europe are very limited.
Some countries with Mediterranean coastlines, including Italy, pick up illegal migrants and hold them in detention centres before returning them to their countries.
Professor Paul Statham, director of the Sussex Centre for Migration Research, said: ''The problem is it's very difficult for politicians in western Europe to grasp that nettle and put forward a more rational migration policy.'' TELEGRAPH
