Over 500 Illegal Migrants Detained in Turkey While Trying to Reach Europe
More than 500 undocumented migrants have been arrested in several Turkish provinces as they tried to reach Europe or enter Turkey using illegal routes, local media reported Thursday, citing security officials.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — At least 547 migrants have been held in Turkey's Edirne, Izmir, Sivas, Hatay and Van provinces, the Anadolu news agency reported.
During an operation against undocumented migrants in northeastern Edirne province, Turkish Coast Guard teams apprehended 164 people from Iran, Pakistan, Palestine, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Somalia when they were trying to reach Greece and Bulgaria illegally, according to the agency.
In a separate operation in the same province, Turkish police detained 73 more undocumented migrants from Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the agency noted.
Moreover, 60 people, including Somalis and Syrians, were detained in the western city of Izmir, according to the media outlet.
European countries have been experiencing a severe migration crisis since 2015 due to the influx of thousands of migrants and refugees fleeing crises in their home countries in Middle East and North Africa. Hundreds of thousands of migrants are trying to reach EU states using various routes, including via Italy, Greece, Turkey and the Balkans.
- Source : Sputnik
