79 irregular migrants rescued off by Turkey

Members of the Turkish Coast Guard search for boats carrying refugees and migrants during a patrol conducted for the press on Lake Van on September 29, 2021 in Van, Turkey [Chris McGrath/Getty Images]

The coast guards in Turkey rescued 79 irregular migrants in the Aegean Sea after they were pushed back by Greek authorities, the Turkish Coast Guard Command said, Anadolu News Agency reports.

According to the report, the Turkish Coast Guard said that, on 23 October, Turkish forces rescued 33 people in a rubber boat off Kusadasi district, in Aydin province, who were pushed into Turkish territorial waters by Greek authorities.

Turkish forces also rescued 25 irregular migrants, who were pushed into Turkish waters by Greece, the report added.

According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), 42,500 migrants have arrived by sea in Turkey since the start of the year, and another 433 have been killed during the journey, often made aboard overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels.

READ: 16 Moroccan migrants die in the Mediterranean

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