Turkish Coast Guard rescues 43 migrants in Aegean Sea

By Salih Baran and Birol Gungordu</p> <p>EDIRNE, CANAKKALE, Turkey (AA) – The Turkish Coast Guard rescued some 43 irregular migrants attempting to illegally cross to Europe after their boat went adrift in the Aegean, security sources said on Wednesday. </p> <p>Coast guard squads rescued the Afghan, Iranian, Pakistani migrants off the coast of the northwestern Edirne province after learning an inflatable boat with children aboard was in trouble. </p> <p>All the migrants were referred to the provincial migration office after health checks, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.</p> <p>Separately, a group of 51 irregular migrants trying to illegally cross to Greece were held in western Turkey when their boat ran aground, also according to anonymous sources.</p> <p>The boat in the Canakkale province had been trying to cross the Aegean to Lesbos island, said the sources.</p> <p>Acting on a tip, gendarmerie teams on the coast of the Ezine district noticed a boat flying a Russian flag had run aground, said the sources.</p> <p>The gendarmerie held the migrants, of Afghan, Iraqi and Syrian origin, and arrested two Ukrainians and three Russians on suspicion of human trafficking. </p> <p>Turkey has been the main route for irregular migrants trying to cross into Europe, especially since 2011, the start of the Syrian civil war.</p> <p> *Writing by Nilay Kar Onum</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>