Dead and missing in a new maritime disaster on the Turkish coast


Nine people were killed after a boat sank off the coast of western Turkey late on Thursday, the Interior Ministry said, adding that 25 others were still missing.

The boat sank off Izmir province and search and rescue operations are under way to find the missing, the ministry said in a statement.

Turkey has become one of the main starting points for more than 1 million migrants by sea, heading to the EU in 2015.

The influx of migrants has declined dramatically after a deal in 2016 between Ankara and the European Union following hundreds of deaths while trying to reach Greek islands a few kilometers from the Turkish coast.