Turkish security intercept 89 migrants off İzmir coast

Turkish security units have intercepted 89 irregular migrants attempting to cross the Aegean Sea illegally from the western province of İzmir, local media reported.

The first group was detected off the coast of the Çeşme district at 12:30 a.m. on July 14 aboard a rubber boat.

Turkish Coast Guard stopped the boat and intercepted 48 migrants, including four children.

A few hours later, another rubber boat was spotted near the district of Dikili.

Authorities detained 41 migrants on board, including one child.

The migrants were identified as nationals of Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Yemen, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Palestine, Lebanon, Djibouti, Iraq, and Thailand.

Following routine procedures, all were handed over to the provincial directorate of migration management.

European nations have remained a major draw for migrants from African and Asian countries in the past ten years, with Türkiye serving as a transit route for thousands of asylum-seekers trying to cross into Greece from its western coasts.

Last year, units caught 55,467 irregular migrants in the country’s waters.