Türkiye rescues 19 irregular migrants

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye rescued 19 irregular migrants in the Aegean Sea after Greek authorities pushed them back into Turkish territorial waters, authorities said Saturday.

Coast guard units rescued the migrants from a rubber boat off the Fethiye district of western Mugla province, the Turkish Coast Guard said in a statement.

Separately, 30 migrants were apprehended while traveling in a rubber boat in the area, it said.

In the Seferihisar and Dikili districts of Izmir province, 54 migrants were apprehended.

Also, in Edirne in western Türkiye, 16 irregular migrants of Syrian, Moroccan, Afghan and Pakistani nationality, who were determined to have entered the country illegally, were apprehended.

Irregular migrants taken to the Coast Guard Command on Cunda Island were provided food, drinks, medicine and medical assistance.

Irregular immigrants were handed to local immigration authorities for deportation.

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.