Turkey rescued 92 irregular migrants in the Aegean Sea after Greek authorities pushed them back into Turkish territorial waters, authorities said Saturday.
Coast guard units rescued 43 migrants from a rubber boat off Cesme district in the western province of Izmir, the Turkish Coast Guard said in a statement.
Separately, 34 migrants were apprehended while traveling in a rubber boat in the same area, it said.
In Balikesir, 49 migrants were rescued and 53 foreign nationals were apprehended.
Irregular migrants taken to the Coast Guard Command on Cunda Island were provided food, drinks, medicine and medical assistance.
Irregular immigrants were handed to local immigration authorities for deportation.
Turkey and global 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.