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At least 9 Palestinian refugees drown off Turkish coast

Migrants sit on a harbor after been rescued by Turkish coast guard from a sinking ship trying to reach the Greek island of Kos on August 18, 2015. (AFP photo)

At least nine Palestinian refugees from Syria drowned off the coast of Turkey after their boat capsized.

The boat was carrying at least 40 Palestinians from the Yarmouk refugee camp in southern Syria when it capsized on Wednesday.

According to reports, the boat had set out from Lebanon after arriving there from Syria several days before. 

The vessel broke into pieces because of the large number of people it was carrying.

Turkish forces managed to rescue the rest of the refugees and took them to hospitals across the country for medical treatment.

The turmoil in Syria has killed hundreds of thousands of people since 2011 when militants, backed by regional and international powers, took up arms against the Syrian government.

As a result, hundreds of Palestinians were also killed in Syria's crisis. Yarmouk, the biggest Palestinian refugee camp located in the capital, Damascus, has been left all but deserted, following attacks on it by terrorists.

The file picture of an area inside the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria after it was hit by violence. (AFP photo)

 

According to the UN's Palestine refugee agency UNRWA, up to 600,000 Palestinian refugees lived in Syria prior to the Syrian conflict

But the same agency estimates that more than half have been forced to leave their homes due to violence there.

Earlier this year, UNRWA announced that life for Palestinian refugees in Syria has become increasingly "unsustainable."

Chris Gunness, UNRWA spokesperson, said that “the conflict has overwhelmed Palestine refugee communities in Syria, with widespread disrespect for international law and the protection of civilians.”


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