Seven people died in the Aegean Sea after a boat carrying illegal immigrants capsized off Turkey's western coast, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported on Wednesday.

The boat carrying a group of illegal immigrants for Greece sank off shores of the Cesme town of Turkey's Izmir province and bodies of the seven were found later, said the report.

According to the report, while receiving the "Mayday" signal sent by the ill-fated boat, Turkish Coast Guard teams rushed to the scene and rescued four illegal immigrants.

But it was not immediately clear the exact number of immigrants aboard the boat and rescuers are still trying to look for possible survivors.

Turkey has often been used as a springboard by illegal immigrants from the Mideast and Asian countries to go to Europe. Many of them take the risks of traveling on dangerous boats, which easily capsize in the tough sea journey.

Source: Xinhua