At least 70 irregular migrants held in western Turkey

By Mustafa Yildirim and Birol Gungordu

IZMIR/CANAKKALE, Turkey (AA) - At least 70 irregular migrants were held in western Turkey, security sources said on Wednesday.

In Turkey’s Aegean province of Izmir, 42 irregular migrants -- including women and children -- were held in Seferihisar district, said a security source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The migrants -- all Pakistani nationals -- were trying to cross to Greece via Greek islands in a sailing boat, the source added.

Also in northwestern Canakkale province, 28 migrants -- including Afghan women and children -- were held in security patrols in Ezine district.

All of the migrants were referred to provincial migration offices.

Turkey has been a main route for irregular migrants trying to cross into Europe, especially since 2011, when Syria’s civil war began.