Turkey rescued 26 irregular migrants, including 18 children, in the Aegean Sea on late Monday, the Turkish Coast Guard Command said.
A coast guard boat deployed upon receiving information that a rubber boat with irregular migrants was drifting off the coast of the western Turkish province of Izmir due to engine failure, the command said.
The migrants were sent to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management.
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.