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Coast guard releases video of dramatic helicopter rescue

A Syrian man saved in a dramatic rescue operation following a migrant boat accident says his goal was to reach Germany but now he is unsure of his future.

Pelan Huseyin, 20, was rescued by a Turkish coast guard helicopter Monday as he clung to the tip of an almost submerged boat which sank in the Bay of Edremit on its way to the Greek island of Lesbos.

Pelan Huseyin was plucked from the sea by the Turkish coast guard. Photo: AP
Pelan Huseyin was plucked from the sea by the Turkish coast guard. Photo: AP

The incident left 27 dead, including at least 11 children.


Huseyin told the Associated Press: "I stayed five hours at sea. I looked around and saw the boat, and I hung on to it."

Pelan Huseyin was clinging to the boat as rescuers arrived. Photo: AP
Pelan Huseyin was clinging to the boat as rescuers arrived. Photo: AP

He spoke from a gendarmerie station where he was being kept to help authorities identify smugglers responsible for the trip.

The rescue operation was captured by Turkish coast guard cameras.


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