Coast guard pulls 100 irregular migrants ashore from Aegean Sea

THE TURKISH coast guard early yesterday rescued some 100 irregular migrants and captured two smugglers in the Aegean Sea.

Coast guard units rescued 33 migrants, including 12 children, off the coast of the Bodrum district of western Muğla province after Greek authorities pushed them back into Turkish territorial waters.

In the same area at a different hour, the coast guard also caught two smugglers along with 67 irregular migrants, including 13 children, on three life rafts.

The migrants were taken to the provincial migration authorities while the smugglers were sent to the courthouse.

Türkiye has been a key transit point for irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of migrants flee civil conflict or economic hardship in their home countries with the hope of reaching Europe.

Some migrants can make dangerous journeys over land or sea with the assistance of smugglers, who often abandon them, especially during sea journeys, after receiving thousands of dollars from each migrant. Turkish security forces stop others before crossing the border into Europe.

In some cases, neighboring Greece is accused of pushing back migrants in a controversial practice. In the Aegean Sea, Greek coast guard boats often drive out approaching migrant boats to the Greek islands.

In Edirne, several cases of similar “pushbacks” have been documented in recent years. In some cases, migrants were found naked and bruised after what they claimed were beatings at the hands of Greek border officials who stripped them and forced migrants to march back to the Turkish side.

On the Maritsa (Meriç) River dividing the two countries, migrants were in the past forced to row back to the Turkish border after their boats were turned back by Greek forces.

The latest statistics, between 2010 and 2023, show Türkiye rescued 184,175 irregular migrants from its seas after they put their lives in danger with the hope of reaching Europe.

Some 923 migrants, on the other hand, ended up dead on perilous journeys in the same period, while 503 people remain unaccounted for after their boats sank.

Last year alone, 20 people died while traveling to nearby Greek islands from the Turkish coast. Eleven went missing as they strived to reach the islands in the Aegean Sea, while the Turkish coast guard saved 23,977 irregular migrants from certain death.