The Turkish Coast Guard Command rescued three people on board a privately owned boat off the Greek island of Rhodes on Tuesday after the vessel was attacked by Greek forces off the coast of southwestern Turkey's Muğla province.
The two Turkish nationals and one Syrian on board were injured, the coast guard said, adding one of the Turkish citizens was "critically wounded," but offered few other details on the incident.
There was no immediate comment from the Greek side.
Four boats, a diving team and paramedics were dispatched to the scene, the coast guard said, adding that the wounded were hospitalized in the Aegean town of Marmaris and that the boat sank while being towed.
One Turkish national was heavily injured, while the other one was slightly injured, and the Syrian national had a broken arm, the statement said.
Prosecutors in Marmaris have launched an investigation, the coast guard said.
On Monday, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu slammed Greece and the European border agency FRONTEX for their “brutish” treatment of migrants and refugees.
The interior minister noted that FRONTEX and Greek officials sink boats, remove their fuel tanks and unlawfully push migrants and refugees back into Turkish territorial waters. He added that sometimes they call Turkey's Coast Guard Command to rescue the migrants after pushing them back.
In July, Turkish officials released video footage showing FRONTEX and the Greek coast guard violating European Union law and regulations by pushing back migrants and refugees trying to reach Greece.
Outraged by the Greek coast guard’s brutality, the Coast Guard Command told them over the radio that Turkey would raise the issue on international platforms.
Turkey and Greece have been key transit points for asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants seeking to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.
Tensions between Turkey and Greece have flared up over maritime disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean, with the NATO members long at odds over Ankara's exploratory drills for hydrocarbons in the area.
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