18 irregular migrants were rescued by the Turkish coast guard off Mugla seashore.
The migrants, including Palestinians from Syria, were stuck off the Aegean coast onboard a Greece-bound vessel.
In 2019, Turkish authorities held nearly 455,000 irregular migrants across the country, including about 60,000 trying to cross the Mediterranean.
As many as 268,000 irregular migrants were held in Turkey in 2018, 175,000 each in 2017 and 2016 and 146,000 in 2015.
Palestinian refugees from Syria continue to risk their lives onboard the “death boats”to Greece, rummaging around for a momentary respite from the daily scenes of bloodshed and destruction. AGPS has kept record of the death of dozens of refugees onboard Greece-bound ships.
Activists estimate that around 4,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria are taking cover on such Greek islands as Lesbos, Mytilene, Chios, Leros, and Kos, among other areas.