Turkish Coast Guard rescues 448 refugees in 24 hours

Turkish Coast Guard Command has rescued 448 refugees within the last 24 hours, Turkish military said Saturday.

The refugees were found aboard boats off Turkey’s western coasts of Izmir, Aydin, Balikesir and Canakkale, Turkish General Staff said in a statement on its official website.

The provinces, which face Greek islands in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, are prime spots for refugees leaving Turkey for the EU.

At least 3,138 refugees, including the 291 people in the Aegean Sea, have died crossing the Mediterranean Sea so far this year, according to International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

According to the UN’s Refugee Agency, the total number of arrivals in 2015 so far in Europe via the Mediterranean is now over 643,000 people.

Images from Anadolu Agency.