Overview
- A wave of sinkings and rescues, reported Wednesday, left at least 40 people dead across the Aegean near Bodrum, south of Lampedusa, and in the English Channel.
- Off Bodrum in southwest Turkey, the coast guard said a rubber boat fled a patrol in strong wind and rough seas, then capsized, with 18 bodies recovered and one person dying later in hospital as 21 survived.
- Muğla’s governor Idris Akbıyık said those on the Bodrum boat were Afghans, and searches continued after survivors were brought ashore for treatment.
- South of Lampedusa, Italian authorities found 19 dead on a boat after days at sea from Libya, with ANSA reporting likely hypothermia in seven‑meter waves, 58 people rescued, and five in critical condition.
- Near Gravelines in northern France, officials said two men from Sudan and Afghanistan died while climbing into a dinghy in the water, 111 others were rescued, a Turkish suspect was detained, and France extended its border pact with the UK by two months.