Ankara, Jan 22 (AP) Authorities in Turkiye are investigating eight bodies that washed up in the Mediterranean province of Antalya, including two found on Monday on a beach in the vacation resort of Serik.

The Antalya governor's office said one body is believed to be a Turkish citizen who was reported missing. Authorities believe the seven other bodies discovered over the past week may be migrants from a boat that went missing off the coast near the Syria-Lebanon border last month on its way to Cyprus.

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An estimated 90 people were on board the boat that disappeared on December 11, the governor's office said, citing information provided by the Lebanese embassy in Turkiye.

An evaluation of currents, winds and waves indicates that the victims may have been dragged toward the Antalya coastline, the office said in a statement.

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In Lebanon, a lawyer who follows migrants' cases, Mohammed Sablouh, said the boat left northern Lebanon with about 85 people on board, including 30 children.

Sablouh said contact was lost with another boat that left Lebanon on Thursday with about 50 or 60 people on board.

On Monday, resort staff found the two bodies 500 metres (1,640 feet) apart on the beach used by guests, the private Demiroren News Agency reported.

The other bodies were found in resorts near the town of Manavgat and on the coast near Antalya city. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)