116 migrants heading to Europe captured in two days

İZMİR – Anadolu Agency

A total of 5,789 migrants were captured in the Aegean Sea by Turkish coast guards in 2014.

A total of 116 migrants who attempted to cross into Europe through Turkey have been captured by security forces in the Aegean region over two days.

Coast guard teams captured 62 Syrians on a boat at the coast of the resort town of Didim located in the Aegean province of Aydın. Six women and three children were among these 63 migrants, İzmir governor’s office said in a written statement yesterday. A total of 38 people holding citizenship from Eritrea, Afghanistan and Syria were detained in another resort town of Kuşadası. Three were children, while 10 were women.

Coast guards in the Aegean province of İzmir arrested 11 Syrians in a boat near the coasts of the resort town of Çeşme. An unidentified person, who allegedly organized the migrants’ passage to Europe, was also detained by the police. Five Afghan migrants were captured in a boat near the coasts of İzmir’s Dikili district.

A total of 5,789 migrants were captured in the Aegean Sea by Turkish coast guards in 2014. The officials also detained 38 people who helped the migrants in their escape to Europe via Turkey.