10 migrants bound for Greece missing in Turkish river

Istanbul (AFP) – Turkish rescue workers were on Tuesday searching for 10 migrants missing after their boat capsized while they were seeking to cross a river from Turkey to Greece, reports said.

The boat overturned while the migrants, whose identity was not disclosed, were seeking to cross into Greece over the River Evros — known as the River Meric in Turkish — which runs close to the border, the Dogan news agency said.

Children were among those missing in the incident, which took place in Turkey’s northwestern Edirne province.

Turkey struck a deal with the EU in 2016 in a effort to stem the flow into Europe of migrants who had largely made the perilous sea crossing across the Aegean from western Turkey to Greece.

Aid groups say this has meant increasing numbers of migrants have been seeking to cross the Evros into Greece, whose currents also harbour many dangers.