Thirty-three Afghan migrants were rescued Friday by the Turkish coast guard off the Ayvacık district of western Çanakkale province.
The migrants, who were trying to illegally reach Greece, were on a rubber boat in danger of sinking.
One mile off Kadırga Burnu beach, their boat began to take in water amid rough waves affecting entire Aegean Sea.
Coast guard crews rescued the 33 migrants, bringing them to the Coast Guard Center in Küçükkuyu. They were then turned over to a removal center in Ayvacık.
Despite the deadly risk, migrants still take the dangerous route of Greece by the Aegean sea almost daily from western Turkish shores. Paying high sums to smugglers, they board small boats that often capsize due to overcrowding. Tight patrolling by coast guard in the region is credited with preventing many possible disasters. Nevertheless, dozens have died this year when their boats sank in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.
Europe and Turkey managed to reduce the number of people risking their lives to cross into Europe via the Aegean shores of Turkey but the crossings and deaths persist due to lack of a concrete solution to the issue.
In the past three years, countries in Europe, the main destination for migrants, failed to reach consensus for a humanitarian response to the migrant influx.
