Turkey captures more migrants heading to Greece via Aegean Sea

ÇANAKKALE / MUĞLA

AA Photo

The Turkish Coast Guard captured 155 migrants sailing to a Greek island in the Aegean Sea via unsafe boats as part of operations in Thracian and Aegean provinces on May 3.

A total of 71 people were captured on inflatable boats in two separate locations in the Aegean Sea by the Coast Guard as they were sailing to the Greek island of Lesbos, Anadolu Agency reported. The Coast Guard captured 38 Afghans off the shores of Behramkale village in the Ayvacık district of Çanakkale province, while 33 Myanmar nationals were detained in boats off of the Küçükkuyu district. The migrants were taken in an inflatable boat to the Behramkale port, where they were detained by gendarmerie forces. All 71 migrants were taken to Ümmühan Hatun Sports center because the deportation center in Ayvacık had no empty rooms.

Meanwhile, Coast Guard personnel in the Didim district of the Aegean province of Aydın captured 84 migrants, mostly Syrians, as they were sailing in three separate groups. Two groups were in inflatable boats while the third group was in a small wooden boat. 

Of these 84 migrants, 74 were from Syria while the others were from African countries, including Nigeria, Congo, Ghana and Angola. The Syrians were released after their legal procedures in the police station were completed, while the other migrants were sent to a deportation center. Turkey does not deport Syrian migrants.

The incidents came a day after 57 Syrians were captured by the Coast Guard in the Aegean Sea near Kara Island in the province of Muğla upon a notice the migrants would head to the Greek island of Kos. The migrants, including six women, seven children and four babies, were on a seven-meter inflatable boat.