A major accident took place on Friday (October 24, 2025) off the coast of Mugla, western province of Turkey. A rubber boat carrying migrants sank in water off the coast of Mugla. At least 14 people died in this incident. The local governor’s office confirmed the incident and said rescue operations were underway to search for possible survivors of the crash.

The Mughal Governor’s Office has issued an official statement regarding this accident on Friday (October 24, 2025). According to the statement, the incident was reported to the authorities at around 1 am by an Afghan citizen, who survived the accident and swam to the shore. The citizen of Afghan origin told local emergency services officials that there were a total of 18 people in the rubber boat, but after some time the boat filled with water and sank.

Arrangements made to search for missing migrants

During the rescue operation, emergency services also found a second person, who had somehow reached Celebi Island near Bodrum. Apart from this, bodies of 14 migrants have also been recovered from the sea.

“A search and rescue operation is ongoing with four coast guard boats, a specialized diving team and a helicopter to search for the migrants missing in the accident,” the Mughal governor’s office said.

Illegal migrants travel across the Aegean Sea in an attempt to reach Europe

In fact, the Aegean Sea is a common route for thousands of migrants trying to reach Europe from North Africa and the Middle East, which specifically passes through Turkey, which is home to millions of refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

According to Turkey’s Directorate of Migration Management, the number of migrants entering the country illegally reached about 4.55 lakh in 2019, most of whom were citizens of Afghan and Syrian origin. At the same time, this year till October 16, 2025, more than 1,22,000 illegal immigrants have been caught in Turkey.

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