Via Thomson Reuters: Sixteen dead as migrant boat sinks off northern Cyprus - Anadolu.
Sixteen people died when a boat carrying around 160 migrants sank off the coast of northern Cyprus and rescuers were searching for at least 30 other people, Turkey's state news agency Anadolu said on Wednesday.
It said 101 migrants had been rescued by Turkish and northern Cypriot coast guards, helped by commercial boats in the area.
Tolqa Atakan, transport minister in northern Cyprus, a breakaway state recognised only by Turkey, was quoted by Turkish newspaper Hurriyet as saying the coast guard was still searching for 30 people and that it was not immediately clear how many people had been on the boat.
Hurriyet, without citing sources, said the boat had been detected by radar on Tuesday night but sank early on Wednesday morning. Turkey's coast guard was not immediately available for comment.
In 2015, Turkey became one of the main launch points for the dangerous sea leg for more than a million migrants seeking to reach the European Union, many fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa.
A 2016 deal between Turkey and the European Union sharply reduced the flow of refugees into the bloc, after thousands died crossing from Turkey to Greek islands a few miles offshore.
From January to May this year at least 26 migrants died trying to cross to Europe from Turkey, according to coast guard statistics.
