Five people drown after a boat carrying migrants capsizes off the Turkish coast

A boat carrying migrants capsized off the Turkish Aegean coastal province of Izmir on Monday, killing at least five people, the Turkish coast guard said. A further six migrants were rescued.

The coast guard said a search and rescue mission was underway for two other migrants thought to be missing after the rubber boat capsized in stormy weather off the resort of Cesme. HaberTurk news channel said the migrants were trying to reach the Greek island of Chios.

There was no immediate information on the migrants’ nationalities.

Many boatloads of migrants attempt to make the dangerous sea crossing to reach the Greek islands from the Turkish coast, hoping to make their way to more prosperous European Union countries eventually.

Others attempt to enter Greece by crossing a river that runs along the land border between the two countries.