Türkiye rescues 30 irregular migrants in Aegean Sea

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye rescued 30 irregular migrants in the Aegean Sea late Thursday, according to the Turkish Coast Guard Command.

A Coast Guard boat was directed after receiving information that there was a group of irregular migrants in life rafts off the coast of Urla district in Izmir, it said on its website.

The teams rescued 30 irregular migrants, including 14 children, in two life rafts that were pushed back into Turkish territorial waters by Greek forces.

And 22 irregular migrants, including four children, were apprehended in a fast-moving rubber boat that was intercepted off the coast of Seferihisar district in Izmir.

The migrants were sent to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management.

Türkiye has been a key transit point for asylum seekers aiming to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.