Six children drown in Turkey migrant tragedy

SIX children, including a baby, died when a dinghy carrying Afghan migrants capsized off Turkey, reports say.

The Turkish coastguard rescued eight others from the Aegean Sea near the western city of Izmir.

The latest tragedy came a day after the body of a young girl was found washed up on a nearby beach.

More than 3,500 people have died or have been reported missing this year while trying to cross the Mediterranean into Europe.

One in four of those who died was a child, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

Turkish media say the alarm was raised in the early hours of yesterday, after the dinghy had gone down a short distance from the coastal town Cesme.

The town’s beaches are regularly used by migrant boats heading for the island of Chios.

The body of five-year-old Sajida Ali was found on Monday washed up on a beach at Cesme and it was assumed she had also died in a failed attempt to reach Chios.