Some 77 irregular migrants were held Friday in two different districts of western Turkey's Izmir.

They were spotted in dinghies off the coast of the Aegean Sea by coast guards.

Thirty-five migrants, including 17 Somalis, 13 Kuwaitis, four Eritreans and one Syrian, were held off the coast of Seferihisar district. The group included men, women and children.

Another 42 were held off the coast of Dikili. Of them, 20 were from Syria, 14 from Congo, four from Palestine and another four from Central African countries. The migrants were taken to the provincial migration office.

At least 2,212 irregular migrants were held across Turkey over the past week, as reported Anadolu Agency (AA) citing security sources.

The migrants included Pakistani, Congolese, Syrian, Iraqi, Afghan, Egyptian, Bangladeshi, Senegalese, Central African, Algerian, Moroccan, Tunisian, Somalian, Libyan, Togo, Cameroonian and Palestinian nationals. In 2018, some 268,000 irregular migrants were held in Turkey, according to the Interior Ministry. Turkey has been a key transit point for irregular migrants aiming to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution. All of the migrants held during the week were either taken to hospital for medical care or transferred to provincial migration offices.