Turkey: Boat carrying up to 60 refugees sinks in Lake Van
The lake is near the border with Iran, from where refugees regularly cross into Turkey to head west towards Europe. Security forces conduct search operations to find the sunken boat in Lake Van [Mesut Varol/Anadolu] A boat that sank on Lake Van in eastern Turkey is believed to have been carrying up to 60 refugees and migrants when it went down in stormy weather, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said. Speaking to reporters in Van province on Wednesday, Soylu said authorities detained 11 people in connection with the incident, which the provincial governor's office said took place late on Saturday. "The information the interior minister has is dependent on the testimonies of witnesses," said Al Jazeera's Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul.Search and rescue operations continue, he said, adding that six bodies have been recovered so far. He said a total of 11 other people had been detained in connection with the trage...
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