Turkey captures 239 migrants heading to Europe over weekend

The Turkish Coast Guard rescued a total of 107 migrants trying to cross onto Greek islands on May 10 in three separate locations off Bodrum, a southwestern town in the province of Muğla. 

The Coast Guard discovered an inflatable boat carrying 46 migrants off the Bodrum coast. The migrants, including Syrians, were brought to the Milta Marina in Bodrum.

About an hour later, a Coast Guard boat caught another inflatable boat carrying 49 migrants, including eight women and six children, off Kargı Bay. They were moved to the Coastal Security Boat Commandership located in the cross-border area of Bodrum’s port.

Another 12 migrants were rescued in the Aegean Sea after their zodiac boat sank. Some of them were reportedly minutes away from drowning and a migrant was hospitalized due to hypothermia.

Four migrants were reportedly seen in the sea south of Karaada, a tiny island in Bodrum Bay. A 3.5 meter-long zodiac boat sank with 12 migrants aboard. The Coast Guard rescued four migrants, who said eight others were still missing. After four hours of searching, all eight migrants were found alive wearing life vests. Four migrants were rescued off Turkish coastal waters while the other four were saved in international waters. One migrant, a Syrian, received medical treatment in an ambulance before being taken to Bodrum State Hospital.

Except for the Syrian migrant who was hospitalized in the intensive care unit, all 106 migrants captured May 10 were sent to a deportation center.

In a separate incident, 132 migrants were also caught in the northwestern province of Edirne on May 9.

Gendarmerie forces captured 132 migrants while on patrol in the villages of Kemalköy, Bosnaköy, Yenikadın and Uzgaç. Among the captured migrants were Afghans, Pakistanis, Syrians, and Myanmar citizens, local gendarmerie forces said. The migrants were sent to a deportation center.