Turkey rescues 125 asylum seekers from boats in Aegean

By Safak Yel

IZMIR, Turkey (AA) – A total of 125 asylum seekers were rescued off Turkey’s Aegean coast, security sources said Thursday.

Turkish Coast Guard teams rescued the group of people, who were in rubber boats which had been directed to Turkish territorial waters by the Greek Coast Guard, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

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

Late last month, Turkey announced it would no longer stop asylum seekers from reaching Europe via land, while banning boat crossings as too dangerous.

Turkey currently hosts over 3.7 million Syrians, making it the world's top refugee-hosting country.

* Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur