Some 124 migrants pushed back by Greece rescued
ANKARA
The Turkish Coast Guard Command has rescued 124 migrants pushed back by Greek authorities off the Aegean province of Muğla.
The Coast Guard Command was informed that there were illegal immigrants in Bodrum offshore on Dec .14.
After being dispatched to the area, the teams rescued a total of 124 immigrants on a sailing boat and two life rafts pushed back into Turkish territorial waters by Greek authorities.
Two people smugglers who assisted migrants trying to reach Europe illegally were also caught in the incident.
On the same day, the teams caught another 58 illegal immigrants, who were trying to illegally go abroad, off Bodrum.
The illegal immigrants taken to the shore were handed over to the provincial directorate of migration management.
Türkiye has become one of the key transit points for migrants looking to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.
In the first 11 months of the year, 19,636 migrants pushed back by Greek authorities were rescued by Turkish Coast Guard teams during their voyage in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, while 10 immigrants died in the pushbacks, according to the coast guard command.
The teams caught 41,834 illegal immigrants in 1,341 incidents that took place in the first 11 months of the year. In the same period, 38 migrants died, while 278 human smugglers were caught.
There are 3.8 million refugees in the country, including 3.5 million Syrians under temporary protection and 319,000 people under international protection.
