Dozens die as refugee boat capsizes off Turkish coast

At least 37 people, including five children, drowned on Saturday when their boat foundered just metres off the coast in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece, according to reports. 

The Turkish coastguard said 75 people had been rescued from the boat, which was stricken off the coast of Ayvacik in northwestern Canakkale province.

The capsized boat was visible about 50m from the shore, where divers from the coastguard were still searching for the missing. Some local residents were also helping. 

Officials told the AFP news agency that 37 people were confirmed dead, including Syrians, Afghans and Burmese.

The drownings come two days after 25 migrants, including 10 children, died off the Greek island of Samos. 

Turkey, which is hosting at least 2.5 million refugees from Syria's civil war, has become the main launchpad for people fleeing war, persecution and poverty to Europe.  

The Turkish government struck a deal with the EU in November to halt the outflow of refugees, in return for $3.2bn in financial assistance. 

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said this week 45,361 people had arrived in Greece by sea so far this year, 31 times more than for all of January 2015.

About 90 percent of the new arrivals were from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, it added.