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Turkish Coast Guard boat approaches a dinghy with refugees in the Mediterranean (archive image)
Photo: Emrah Gurel / AP
Eight bodies have washed up on the coast of the Turkish holiday region of Antalya within six days - five of them are believed to be drowned migrants.
The governor's office in Antalya announced on Sunday evening that it was determined that the clothing and shoes of the five people were manufactured in Syria.
Another dead person is believed to be a young Turkish woman who disappeared in Antalya at the beginning of January.
According to media reports, this was confirmed by DNA analysis.
On Monday, two more bodies were recovered from a beach in Antalya, the DHA news agency reported.
They have therefore not yet been identified.
There is also a child among the dead.
The governor's office also said that due to currents, wind and waves, it was assumed that at least five of the bodies had washed up after a boat carrying people seeking protection sank.
This is consistent with an event reported by the Lebanese embassy in Ankara on December 11th.
Accordingly, contact had been lost with a boat with around 90 refugees that had been spotted off the Syrian-Lebanese coast on the way to Cyprus.
The authorities are continuing to work to clarify the deaths, it said.
czl/dpa