34 migrants saved off southwestern Turkey

Initially, the Turkish Coast Guard rescued three migrants, including a three-year-old child, from a boat that sank off the coast of the southwestern province of Bodrum.

According to initial reports, the vessel was heading to the Greek island of Kos, about two miles (3.2 kilometers) from the coast of Turkey, when it capsized off Bodrum in Muğla.

Coast guard officials said the boat was carrying Syrians, Afghans and Iranians. Some rescued migrants were taken to Bodrum State Hospital, the officials added.

Meanwhile, a 33-year-old pregnant woman from Cameroon gave birth to her twin children April 19 on a dinghy which had set sail from the Aegean province of Aydın’s Didim district and was en route to Greece’s Samos Island, Doğan News Agency reported. 

The twin babies, which suffered from hypothermia after being delivered, were taken to a hospital in nearby Rhodes via helicopter. The mother and babies were reported to be in good health. 

The Cameroonian mother was among 25 migrants trying to illegally cross over to Greece via Turkey. 
Turkey is a regular transit point for undocumented immigrants trying to reach Europe.

According to a recent report, Turkish teams have rescued 1,497 migrants and apprehended six human traffickers in about 60 incidents as part of its operations in the Aegean Sea in 2015.