Turkish gendarmerie prevents risky sea crossing

By Mehmet Yavas

CANAKKALE, Turkey (AA) - Gendarmes stopped a group of 29 migrants, including women and children, making the dangerous sea journey to the Greek island of Lesbos on Sunday, a security official said.

The group of Syrians and Moroccans was apprehended on the coast at Ayvacik in the northwestern province of Canakkale, the official said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

They were taken to Ayvacik detention center after giving testimony.

More than a million refugees and migrants traveled from Turkey to Greece last year before an EU-Turkey deal stemmed the flow in March.

According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 154,000 people have crossed the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece so far this year and 376 have died during the voyage.