LOC21:16
18:16 GMT
ANKARA, Oct 20 (KUNA) -- Around 30 illegal immigrants were rescued by Turkey's Coast Guards after their motorboat broke down in the northern Aegean Sea off Canakkale's Ayvacik district, official media reported Thursday.
After failing to fix their boat, the immigrants contacted Turkish rescue teams via a phone call and asked for help, Turkish security sources said, according to Anadolu Agency (AA).
The boat was carrying 16 Congolese and 14 Syrian migrants, including women and children, who were attempting to illegally reach the Greek island of Lesbos, it added.
The Turkish authorities provided the rescued immigrants with blankets, shoes, and sweaters, sources said, adding that they were taken to a repatriation center in Ayvacik. (end)
rs.ma