Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Samuel Osborne

Turkish fishermen rescue 18-month-old boy after refugee boat capsizes

Footage has emerged of Turkish fishermen rescuing an 18-month-old boy after a refugee boat capsized en route to Greece.

The men initially assumed the toddler was dead after spotting him floating in the water wearing a life jacket. "Oh my God, there's a baby, too," one of the men can be heard to shout. 

They soon noticed he was making sounds, causing one fisherman to exclaim "he's alive, he's alive!"

The rescuers say they helped 15 people out of the water, including one woman who was pregnant. 

"He was all pale", Recep Evran, captain of the boat, told Hurriyet Daily News

"We suspected hypothermia as he was cold and his hands and feet were all white. He was also frothing at the mouth.

"We covered the baby with a blanket, tried to rescue him. 

"After our call, a tow boat from the harbour arrived to help us before taking the baby to Kuşadası."

The toddler, later identified as Muhammad Hasan, is now reported to be in good health and has been reunited with his mother, Lorin Halef.

Ms Halef told local reports the smugglers had promised them a bigger boat than the one they had been forced to take.

More than 2,600 refugees and migrants are known to have drowned while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea in 2015, according to the International Organisation for Migration.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.