A tragic incident unfolded off Turkiye’s western province of Mugla on Friday, October 24, 2025, as a rubber boat carrying migrants capsized, resulting in the drowning of at least 14 individuals. Authorities have confirmed that a comprehensive search and rescue operation is actively underway to locate any potential survivors.
The alarm was raised just after 1:00 a.m. by an Afghan man who miraculously survived the disaster, managing to swim back to the mainland, according to a statement released by the Mugla Governor’s Office.
He informed emergency services that a total of 18 people had embarked on the ill-fated rubber vessel. Tragically, the boat quickly began to take on water and subsequently sank.
In their ongoing efforts, search and rescue teams located a second survivor who had reached Celebi Island, near Bodrum. Alongside this rescue, 14 bodies were recovered from the sea.
The Governor’s office emphasized that the search for other missing irregular migrants is continuing relentlessly, involving four coast guard boats, a specialized coast guard diving team, and a helicopter.
The Aegean Sea remains a perilous and frequently used transit route for thousands of migrants attempting to journey from North Africa and the Middle East into Europe. Turkiye, in particular, serves as a significant host country for millions of refugees primarily from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, making this route a common, yet dangerous, crossing point.
Data from the Presidency of Migration Management indicates a peak in irregular migrant apprehensions in Turkiye during 2019, with close to 455,000 individuals, predominantly from Afghanistan and Syria, being intercepted.
Alarmingly, over 122,000 migrants have already been apprehended in Turkiye this year alone, as of October 16th, highlighting the persistent challenges and risks faced by those undertaking these journeys.