Five migrants drown off south-west Turkey

Coastguard says it rescued 11 people, including a child, and took them to Didim port

Five migrants died in an accident off the Greek coast on Saturday. AP

Five migrants died when a dinghy sank off the coast of south-west Turkey on Saturday, the coastguard said, adding that it had rescued 11 people, while Greece said five more from the same wreck were rescued from a nearby island.

Turkey's coastguard said it had arrived at the scene after learning that a boat was taking in water at 6.20am (03.20 GMT).

It rescued 11 people, including a child, and took them to Didim port on the Aegean Sea for medical checks.

The incident took place off the town of Didim, in waters off the Turkish province of Aydin, they said.

In a video released by the Turkish coastguard, people aboard a grey inflatable dinghy are seeing waving as they are buffeted by rough seas.

Five survivors reach the Greek island of Farmakonisi, 10 kilometres from the Turkish coast, the Greek coastguard said.

According to a witness account by the Greek coastguard, 31 people were on board the boat when it departed.

Deaths in the Aegean are common, with people boarding makeshift boats even on stormy seas.

A woman and four children died in the same area at the beginning of February after their inflatable boat sank.

Since 2014, 2,269 people have drowned in the eastern Mediterranean, according to the International Organisation for Migration.