Boat carrying 45 migrants and refugees sinks south of Turkey

Turkish naval ships and an aircraft have been deployed as part of search and rescue efforts.

A boat carrying 45 migrants and refugees has sunk off southwest Turkey, prompting the coastguard to launch a search and rescue mission, the Turkish defence ministry said. The ministry said in a statement on Friday it had received information on Thursday evening that the vessel was sinking, some 259km (161 miles) southwest of the Turkish resort town of Kas. Turkish naval ships and an aircraft were on Friday carrying out search and rescue operations, the statement added.