A total of 752 refugees and asylum seekers were detained off the coast of northwestern Çanakkale province as they attempted to reach the nearby Greek island of Lesbos on Monday, Turkish coast guard officials said.
Turkish coast guard made the detentions after carrying out simultaneous operations at eight different locations. Those held included Syrians, Afghans, Iraqis and Iranians.
During the operation, a dead body of an unidentified male refugee was also retrieved.
According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 220,000 people arrived in Greece by sea in October and more than 220 persons died in the waters between Turkey and Greece that month.
Since the start of the year, the organization recorded 653,075 people arriving in Greece and 512 deaths in the Aegean region.
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