ISTANBUL, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- At least 4 refugees drowned and 15 others went missing early Friday when their boat capsized off the Turkish coast in the Black Sea, the Turkish Coast Guard said.
Thirty-eight refugees have been rescued while at least 15 are still reported missing, the Turkish Coast Guard said in a statement posted on its website.
The ill-fated boaters departed from Kefken in Turkey's Marmara province of Kocaeli, but their destination is not clear yet, the statement said.
The Black Sea has lately become the new route for refugees trying to reach European countries for better lives, as the Aegean Sea route has turned harder for them to cross after Turkey and the European Union inked a deal in March last year on stemming the flow of migrants.
According to Turkish Coast Guard data, a total of 14,632 irregular migrants have been intercepted by the Turkish side this year in both the Aegean and Black Seas.
In August the figure was 2,669, up from 1,603 over the same period last year.
