Boat Capsizes on Lake Van, Claiming Lives of 7 Refugees

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

A boat with refugees on board has capsized on Lake Van while approaching the shore in Adilcevaz in Turkey's eastern province of Bitlis. While seven people have lost their lives, 64 people could be rescued.

In a statement released by the Governorship of Bitlis, it is indicated that a boat carrying refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan capsized while approaching the shore between the villages of Erikbağı and Karşıyaka at around 2.30-3.00 a.m. today (December 26).

64 people rescued

The Governorship has released the following statement about the incident:

"According to initial findings, with five people found dead at the scene of incident and the passing of two people at our Adilcevaz hospital, seven people in total have lost their lives.

"The rescued 64 people have been referred to Adilcevaz center and our hospitals hospitals in Ahlat and Van so that their needs for accommodation and care can be met and official procedures can be undertaken.

"The gendarmerie and Disaster and Emergency Authority (AFAD) teams as well as the diver teams of the security are conducting search and rescue operations in the area. A legal and administrative investigation has been launched into the incident."

1 person displaced in every two seconds in 2017

According to the Global Trends report of the United Nations (UN) Refugee Agency UNHCR, one person was displaced in every two seconds in 2017 and the number of refugees across the world reached almost 70 million, namely the population of Thailand.

In the Aegean Sea, 806 refugees lost their lives in 2015, 434 refugees lost their lives in 2016 and 61 refugees lost their lives in 2017.

According to the report released by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, over 10 thousand refugees have lost their lives in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas since the beginning of 2014.

Affiliated with the UN, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) also announced that 2,776 people lost their lives or got missing while trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2017. The number of refugees who died in the Mediterranean sea was over 1,500 in 2018. (TP/SD)