ISTANBUL, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- At least four illegal immigrants were killed on Sunday when an inflatable boat carrying them hit a Turkish coast guard control boat on the western coast of Turkey.
The incident occurred in the Aegean Sea near the Dikili district in the province of Izmir early in the morning, the coast guard said in a statement posted on its website.
Following the crash, the coast guard rescued 51 illegal immigrants and rushed 18 of them to hospitals nearby, the statement said.
The search and rescue operation was continuing to find one missing person, added the statement.
The Aegean Sea is a favorite route for illegal immigrants trying to sneak into Europe via Turkey, despite Turkish efforts to curb the flow of illegal immigration under a deal signed with the European Union in March 2016.
A total of 60,544 illegal immigrants attempted to reach Greece via Turkey last year, up from 25,398 in 2018, according to figures released by the Turkish coast guard.
At least eight illegal immigrants died on Friday after an inflatable boat carrying 15 migrants sank in the Aegean near the Fethiye district in Turkey's southwestern province of Mugla.
