UPDATE - Turkey rescues 59 asylum seekers in Aegean Sea

UPDATES WITH MORE ASYLUM SEEKERS HELD, CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE; MINOR EDITS

By Mirac Kaya and Ozgun Tiran

BALIKESIR / KIRKLARELI, Turkey (AA) - Turkey on Monday rescued at least 59 asylum seekers who were pushed back by the Greek Coast Guard into Turkish territorial waters in the Aegean Sea, according to security sources.

At least 48 asylum seekers were rescued from a rubber boat off the coast of Ayvalik in Turkey's northwestern Balikesir province, said a source on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Authorities brought the group to Cunda Island, where they were provided with food, clothing, and medical supplies.

Furthermore, acting on a tip-off, gendarmerie forces held 11 asylum seekers – Afghan and Pakistani nationals – in the Kofcaz district of northwestern Kirklareli province near the border with Bulgaria, another source said.

After a health check at a local hospital, the asylum seekers were taken to the gendarmerie command.

They told officials that they were beaten and pushed back to Turkey by Bulgarian border troops, the source added.

After routine procedures, the migrants were transferred to a repatriation center.

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.

Turkey and human rights groups have repeatedly condemned Greece's illegal practice of pushing back asylum seekers, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children.

*Writing by Merve Aydogan in Ankara