Six Students Drown During Stopover In Southern Turkey

Six students drown during stopover in southern Turkey < br />

2012-05-22 19:39:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

KARAAÄžAÇ, TURKEY (BNO NEWS) -- Six Turkish students drowned in the Mediterranean Sea in southern Turkey on Monday when they went swimming during a stopover while returning from a field trip, local media reported on Tuesday.

The group of nineteen Quran students were returning from a field trip in Åžanlıurfa province when their bus made a stopover in the coastal town of KaraaÄŸaç, located near the city of Ä°skenderun in Hatay province. There they decided to go swimming in the Mediterranean Sea during their break.

The Hurriyet newspaper reported that employees from a nearby restaurant warned the group of students that the waves were too high and they could drown if they went in. However, the group ignored the warning and they went into the sea, after which they soon drifted away by the strong currents.

Locals rushed to their aid when they were seen struggling and screaming for help. And while thirteen students and the bus driver were successfully pulled out from the waters, six others went missing and were later found dead by rescue workers. Some reports indicate that a number of students, all aged between 14 and 17, did not know how to swim.

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