Izmir, February 8 (RHC)-- At least 35 refugees have drowned in two separate accidents in the Aegean Sea as they attempted to cross from Turkey to Greece, media reports say.

In the latest incident, at least two dozen refugees lost their lives on Monday when their boat sank off the district of Edremit in the western Turkish province of Balikesir in an apparent bid to reach the Greek island of Lesbos, Dogan news agency reported.

The accident came shortly after 11 asylum seekers died after another boat capsized off the Turkish port city of Izmir.

It was not immediately clear how many asylum seekers had been on board the doomed boats. However, reports said Turkish coast guard saved at least seven people in the search and rescue operations.

The latest casualties came as German Chancellor Angela Merkel met senior Turkish officials in the capital Ankara for talks on reducing the influx of refugees and asylum seekers to Europe.