43 undocumented migrants rescued off Turkish Cypriot coast

MERSİN

A total of 43 undocumented migrants, including children, have been rescued off the coast of Turkish Cyprus, according to Turkish coast guards in the southern Turkish province of Mersin.

In a statement, the Mersin Governor’s Office on Dec. 21 said Turkish Cypriot coast guard teams had noticed that a boat in the Mediterranean Sea, close to Turkish Cyprus’ Güzelyurt district, was experiencing technical difficulties.

When the teams reached the boat, they found it was carrying 43 migrants.

Teams from the Turkish Coast Guard’s Mediterranean Region Command brought one Iraqi and 42 Syrian nationals to Mersin, which is directly across from Cyprus on the Mediterranean coast, the statement read.

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