Migrant boat sinks off Turkey, children among 16 dead, state media says

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - At least 16 people drowned, including four children, when a rubber boat carrying migrants sank off Turkey's northwest province of Canakkale, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Friday.

Canakkale Governor Ilhami Aktas told Anadolu that four migrants were rescued and admitted to hospital early on Friday, while search and rescue operations continued, involving ten coastguard boats, 2 helicopters, marine police, Turkey's Disaster Management Authority (AFAD) and National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE).

It was not immediately clear how many migrants were on the boat, the governor told Anadolu.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu, writing by Burcu Karakas; Edting by Jonathan Spicer, Sharon Singleton and Barbara Lewis)