Turkey: 9 irregular migrants rescued from Aegean

By Ali Balli and Ayse Yildiz

MUGLA,Turkey (AA) - Nine irregular migrants whose boat sank into the Aegean Sea were rescued by Turkey's Coast Guard on Friday.

The search for three missing migrants off the coast of Bodrum, in the southwestern Mugla province, is ongoing after it emerged that the boat had been carrying 14 people.

After the boat sank, two of the migrants managed to get ashore themselves.

After three coast guard boats and a diving team were deployed to the area, they began search and rescue efforts for the missing migrants.

The nine rescued migrants were taken to hospitals.

In 2018, some 268,000 irregular migrants were held in Turkey, according to the Interior Ministry.

Turkey has been a key transit point for irregular migrants aiming to cross to Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

*Writing by Dilara Hamit in Ankara