At least 14 migrants drown off Antalya after deadly collision

ANTALYA

At least 14 migrants drowned on March 9 after a boat carrying them collided with a Coast Guard vessel off Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast during a chase, officials said.

The incident occurred near the coast of Demre, in Antalya province, as the vessel carrying Afghans ignored calls to stop and attempted maneuvers at high-speed to escape the coast guard boats, the state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Gov. Hulusi Şahin as saying.

Seven people were rescued from the sea by coast guard teams and given immediate medical care, Şahin said. Fourteen others who reached the shore were detained by gendarmerie units.

Search and rescue operations were continuing by land, sea and air to locate any remaining people who may still be missing.

Authorities have launched both a judicial and an administrative investigation into the incident, Anadolu said.

Türkiye has been a key transit point for irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011.

Migrant boats are often lost on the short but perilous route between the Turkish coast and the nearby Greek islands of Samos, Rhodes and Lesbos that serve as entry points to the European Union.

In some cases, neighboring Greece is accused of pushing back migrants in a controversial practice. In the Aegean Sea, Greek coast guard boats often drive out to avert migrant boats approaching Greek islands.

According to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration, at least 606 migrants have been reported dead or missing on the route since the start of 2026.