Turkish rescue teams have retrieved the bodies of 60 migrants after their boat sank in a lake in the east of the country in one of the worst disasters involving migrants in Turkey in recent years, The New York Times reported, citing Turkish media reports.
The boat capsized late at night on June 27 with as many as 80 people on board, and the confirmed death toll has climbed steadily since then. At least two children were reported to be among the dead.
The accident occurred on Lake Van, a large inland lake in eastern Turkey, near the border with Iran. The migrants were crossing the lake in a fishing boat in an apparent attempt to avoid police checkpoints on the highways, on their journey toward western Turkey.
Early reports indicated some of the dead may have been Afghans and Pakistanis. Families from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran have started reaching out for information, said Mahmut Kaçan, a lawyer who heads the migrant committee at the Van Bar Association.