Turkish Coast Guard nabs 69 irregular migrants, rescues 94 pushed back by Greece

EDIRNE, MUGLA, BALIKESIR, Türkiye

Sixty-nine irregular migrants were caught Friday by Turkish security forces, while 94 migrants, who were pushed back into Turkish territorial waters by Greek forces, were brought ashore.

In the northwestern province of Edirne, near the border with Greece, authorities held 53 irregular migrants who had illegally crossed into Türkiye.

Border units nabbed migrants from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Morocco.

Coast Guard boats were deployed to the region after receiving information that there was a group of immigrants in a rubber boat off the coast of the districts of Bodrum and Marmaris in southwestern Mugla province, according to a statement on the website of the Turkish Coast Guard Command.

Fifty-seven migrants were caught on the stopped boat.

Another 37 were rescued in rubber boats off the coast of Ayvalik district in western Balikesir province after being pushed back by Greek forces into Turkish territorial waters.

In a separate operation, 16 migrants, including Syrian and Palestinian nationals, who stayed in an out-of-use hotel in Mugla's Marmaris district, were nabbed by security forces.

All of the migrants were sent to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management after official procedures.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz