The government office of the Mura province in southwestern Turkey said on October 24 that a rubber boat carrying illegal immigrants sank on the same day in the Aegean Sea waters near the province¡¯s Bodrum area, killing at least 14 people.

The Mugla provincial government office said that the rubber boat began to enter the water and sank about 10 minutes after going out to sea. After the accident, an Afghan immigrant swam to the shore and called the police, saying that there were 18 people on board. Subsequently, the Turkish Coast Guard sent a number of ships and a diving search and rescue team to the scene for search and rescue, and found an immigrant swimming ashore on the nearby island of Chelebi. Search and rescue personnel have salvaged 14 bodies, and the search and rescue operation is still going on.

Bodrum, located on the coast of the Aegean Sea in southwestern Turkey, is the country's famous resort because of its proximity to Greece and the highest level of illegal immigration trafficking.