Turkish police say the bodies of 27 people were found at two locations on the Aegean coast on Tuesday.
It comes after boats - reportedly bound for the island of Lesbos - capsized.
The coast guard rescued 12 others from the sea and the rocks.
It said three boats and a helicopter were searching for more survivors.
A video posted by the Anadolu Agency showed images of dead bodies being washed ashore.
It contains some graphic imagery:
Refugees' bodies washed ashore in Turkey's #Balikesir
#Video | Refugees' bodies washed ashore in Turkey's #Balikesirhttp://aa.com.tr/en/vg/video-gallery/refugees-bodies-washed-ashore-in-turkeys-balikesir-/0
Posted by Anadolu Agency on Tuesday, 5 January 2016
A two-year-old boy has became the first known migrant casualty of 2016, after drowning when his dinghy hit rocks off the Greek island of Agathonisi on Sunday.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says more than one million migrants and refugees entered Europe last year.
The Geneva-based group found more than 800,000 crossed into Greece from Turkey, including more than 455,000 from Syria and over 186,000 from Afghanistan.
Nearly 3,700 others died trying to cross the Mediterranean amid Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II.
However reports say the numbers have dipped somewhat due to the colder winter weather.
