Twenty-five people have been killed after a boat carrying refugees from Turkey to Greek sank in the Aegean Sea, Turkey’s coastguard has said.
Fifteen people were rescued after the boat capsized near the Turkish resort of Didim, the state run Andalu Agency reported.
At least three children are believed to be among the dead, according to Dogan news agency.
The incident occurred following reports that Macedonian authorities have set new restrictions on Syrian migrants trying to cross the land border from Greece.
Macedonian border officials are now believed to be barring some Syrians from entering unless they can prove they are from cities “at war”.
The curbs mean people from cities such as Aleppo, Syria can enter, but those from the Syrian capital of Damascus or the Iraqi capital of Baghdad are being stopped.
A UN refugee agency official in Macedonia has criticised the decision.
Ljubinka Brasnarska, UNHCR senior external relations assistant in Macedonia, said: “This is not all right. Everybody from Syria who came needs international protection.
“This decision could be taken only by other competent international bodies, not by border authorities," she said, adding she couldn't explain the latest move.
The developments come a day before a summit between the European Union and Turkey to discuss the crisis, which has seen more than 1 million people reach Europe last year.
Most refugees and migrants entering the EU have been doing so by taking small inflatable dinghies from the Turkish coast to the nearby Greek islands.
Greece has urged Turkey to stop the boats from leaving its shores.
On Saturday, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, governor of a northern border region of Greece, said at least 13,000 people were now gathered at the frontier waiting to cross north into Macedonia, the BBC reports.
Mr Tzitzikostas urged for a state of emergency to be imposed on the border, which could help the delivery of aid.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
