UPDATE - 257 undocumented migrants held across Turkey

UPDATES HEADLINE, ADDS MIGRANTS IN EDIRNE

By Ozgun Tiran and Abdullah Ozkul

ADANA/KIRKLARELI, Turkey (AA) - At least 98 undocumented migrants were held by security forces across Turkey on Wednesday, according to officials.

In the southern province of Adana, 72 undocumented foreigners including 25 Afghan, 22 Pakistani, 20 Syrian, three Bangladeshi and two Nigerian nationals, were held by the police, a security source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

In the northwestern province of Kirklareli, which borders Bulgaria, local gendarmes held 26 migrants and refugees including Pakistani and Syrian nationals who were planning to cross the border illegally, a gendarme source said.

All migrants and refugees have been referred to the migration management authorities, both sources added.

Separately, in the northwestern province of Edirne, Turkish security forces held 159 migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Eritrea who were trying to illegally reach Europe.

Turkey has been a main route for refugees trying to cross into Europe, especially since the beginning of the civil war in Syria in 2011.