UPDATE - Over 200 undocumented migrants held in northwest Turkey

Among those held in Edirne province are Pakistani, Syrian and Algerian nationals

ADDS MIGRANTS IN KUSADASI DISTRICT

By Hakan Mehmet Sahin

EDIRNE, Turkey (AA) - At least 224 undocumented migrants have been held in northwestern Turkey, a security source said Tuesday.

The migrants were held during a gendarme patrol in Orhaniye, Bosnakoy, Ipsala, Uzunkopru and Meric districts of Edirne province, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Following legal procedures at a police station, the migrants from Syria, Pakistan, Libya, Algeria, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Morocco and Somalia were taken to a provincial migration authority, the source added.

Also, in Aydin province, 22 Syrian nationals, including 11 children, were caught off the coast of Kusadasi district in a dinghy in the Aegean Sea.

Turkey has been a main route for refugees and asylum seekers trying to cross into Europe, especially since the beginning of the civil war in Syria.

Kaynak: