By Ali Balli and Metin Aydemir
MUGLA/IZMIR, Türkiye (AA) – The Turkish Coast Guard has rescued 57 irregular migrants in the Aegean Sea after Greek authorities pushed them back into Turkish territorial waters, according to an official statement issued on Thursday.
Coast guard units saved 11 irregular migrants from a rubber boat off Mugla's Bodrum district, while 46 others were rescued off Cesme district in Izmir province, said the Turkish Coast Guard in the statement.
The migrants were later transported to the provincial migration department.
Türkiye and global rights groups have repeatedly condemned Greece's illegal practice of pushing back asylum seekers, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children.
*Writing by Merve Berker