After setting off from Altınsaç Neighborhood in Gevaş district of Van on July 27, a boat with refugees on board reportedly capsized in stormy weather. Days later, the boat was found in the middle of the lake at a depth of almost 107 metres.

One month after the sinking of the boat, which was occupied by refugees from Pakistan and Afghanistan, rescue workers have recovered one more body on Saturday. Since the incident at the end of June, the bodies of 61 drowned people have been found.

Five people were arrested during a preliminary investigation. However, there is no information available about the proceedings, as a confidentiality order was issued.

It was first alleged that the boat of Medeni Akbaş and Servet Akbaş, two fishers and also relatives who were allegedly carrying over 100 refugees, sank in Lake Van in eastern Turkey. As the fate and whereabouts of the two fishers were unknown, the head of Altınsaç Village as well as police and gendarmerie forces were informed about the incident.

Medeni Akbaş, who managed to get out of the capsized boat alive, reached Çitören Neighborhood in Tuşba and called his family. Upon the deposition of Akbaş, who was detained by the gendarmerie, a search and rescue operation has started in the area where the boat sank.

In a statement released by the Van Governor's Office on July 8, it was indicated that the boat was located at a 106.5-meter depth off the shores of Çarpanak. While five people have been arrested in relation with this incident, 70-80 refugees are estimated to have been on board.

Van borders on Iran

The province of Van with its huge inland waters is located on the Turkish-Iranian border and thus represents the first point of contact on Turkish territory for people who want to flee to Europe from the wars in the Middle East and Asia. The border and the region are highly militarized due to the war. With the help of EU reconstruction aid, one military base was built next to the other at intervals of a few hundred metres. The military often works together with commercial escape helpers, especially with criminal gangs who expose refugees in the high mountains, thus profiting from the refugees' precarious situation.

Not the first disaster

On average between 1000 and 1500 people from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Central Asia come to Van every day. According to official figures, 40,180 migrants were apprehended at the border last year. A far greater number fall into the hands of traffickers. This latest incident is not the first disaster to occur on Lake Van. On 26 December 2019, seven people were killed when a boat carrying refugees sank on its way to Bitlis. 64 people were rescued with the help of villagers from the surrounding area. With a shore length of about 576 kilometres, Lake Van is one of the largest mountain lakes on earth.

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