As part of the search and rescue effort, Turkish navy ships and an aircraft have been deployed.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense stated that a ship carrying 45 migrants and refugees sank in the waters of southwestern Turkey, prompting the Coast Guard to launch a search and rescue mission.

The ministry said in a statement on Friday that it had received news on Thursday night that the ship was sinking about 259 kilometers (161 miles) southwest of the Turkish resort town of Kas.

The statement added that the Turkish navy ship and an aircraft were conducting a search and rescue operation on Friday.

It is unclear whether anyone on board was rescued. There is also no immediate information about the nationality of the persons involved.

Immigrants and refugees often use Turkey as a gateway to the European Union, mainly through Greece.

Many people rely on smugglers, risking their lives on crowded ships for dangerous journeys.

In 2016, Turkey signed an agreement with the European Union to reduce the number of immigrants and refugees entering Europe from the country in exchange for some incentives including financial assistance.

Turkey currently hosts approximately 3.7 million Syrian refugees.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long asked the EU to provide more assistance to deal with the refugee problem. He has previously threatened to open the Turkish border if the EU does not provide additional funds.

In June of this year, EU leaders approved a plan to provide Turkey with another 3 billion euros (3.6 billion U.S. dollars) in the next few years to provide new assistance to Syrian refugees on its territory and to help the country strengthen border controls.

The new funding plan is part of a series of temptations for the EU to try to get Erdogan to the side. Brussels has also proposed to modernize a customs union with Turkey and start high-level talks on health and safety issues.

But Turkey called it “a big illusion” to reduce immigration cooperation to the financial level, and urged enhanced cooperation with the EU to solve this problem.

Ankara has repeatedly stated that it hopes to review the 2016 transaction in a way that “responds to today’s needs and common interests”.

After the United States has fought with the Taliban armed groups that recently regained its territory, after the United States withdrew from the country, Turkey is now worried about a new wave of immigrants and refugees from Afghanistan.

Erdogan said this week that Ankara is in talks with the Afghan authorities on the possible arrival of migrants and refugees.