Syrian man found dead on Bodrum shore

BODRUM – Doğan News Agency

DHA photo

A dead body of a Syrian man was found on a rocky shore of Turkey’s resort town of Bodrum, thought to be one of the thousands of migrants who set sail in the Aegean Sea in order to reach Europe for a better life. 

The 26-year-old Syrian man, whose body was found in the Kızılburun neighborhood of Bodrum, is thought to be Thafer Alsalh, who sailed from the Didim district of the Aydın province three weeks ago in a boat heading to the Greek island of Farmakosini. Several migrants were missing on the boat. An ID card belonging to Thafer Alsalh, an electrical engineer, was found on the body. An investigation has been launched into the incident. 

Smugglers leave 71 migrants in Istanbul´s forest

Meanwhile, some 71 migrants mostly of Afghan origin were left in the Başıbüyük Forest located in the Maltepe district of Istanbul late at night while seeking to cross into France illegally with the help of human smugglers. The group included toddlers and children.

The group said they have arrived in the province of Van after having fled Afghanistan and Iraq, where they were then told they would be transported to France. Instead, they found themselves in a large forest.

The human smugglers had been paid up to 2,000 liras to help the migrants reach France, the migrants told security officers at the Foreigners’ Department.

The Financial and Organized Crime Investigation Branch Prosecutor has launched an extensive investigation after the security officers’ operation.