A total of 79 Syrian illegal immigrants were caught stowing away aboard a Turkish vessel heading to the Italian port of Trieste.

The crew of the ship that left the Mediterranean Turkish port of Mersin, noticed five foreigners aboard the huge vessel as they were sailing in the Aegean Sea. Upon questioning, they told the crew that they were among others hiding in the back of a truck on board. The ship's crew alerted the Coast Guard and the illegal immigrants were taken to Kuşadası, the nearest Turkish port, yesterday. The Coast Guard delivered food and blankets to the shivering, hungry immigrants - including children and the elderly - before they were handed to the local migration authority.

Since a conflict erupted in its southern neighbor Syria, Turkey grapples with the influx of millions from that country.