High-Speed Boat Crashes Into Turkish Coast Guard Vessel, 5 Dead & 1 Missing

Five people died and one person was left severely injured after a migrant boat crashed into a Turkish coast guard vessel off the country’s northwest coast on September 7, 2025.

Authorities confirmed that a search operation was continuing for one missing individual.

The Balikesir governor’s office said the accident happened near Badavut coast in Ayvalik district, along Turkey’s Aegean shoreline close to the Greek island of Lesvos.

A high-speed boat carrying 34 migrants and one trafficker hit a coast guard vessel, throwing everyone onboard into the sea.

During the rescue one person was still missing, and coast guard teams were continuing the search. The Ayvalik prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into the incident.

The Turkish Coast Guard frequently conducts search and rescue operations off Ayvalik, a location just eight nautical miles from Greek territory. This narrow stretch of water is one of the main routes for migrants trying to reach the European Union and apply for asylum.

In December last year, Turkish authorities rescued 57 irregular migrants in four inflatable boats in the same area. Survivors at that time claimed that the Hellenic Coast Guard had pushed them back into Turkish waters, an allegation strongly denied by Greece but often raised by humanitarian groups.

Although crossings through the Aegean have declined compared to previous years, the route is still dangerous. Last week, the bodies of two migrants were found on the shores of Rhodes, an island located across from the Turkish port of Marmaris, which is also a frequent departure point for those trying to reach Europe.

Reference: Reuters

Source: Maritime Shipping News