100 asylum seekers held on Turkey's Aegean coast

IZMIR, Turkey

One hundred asylum seekers were held in the town of Cesme in Turkey’s Aegean province of Izmir, Turkish officials said Monday.

According to a statement from the Turkish Coast Guard Command, a sail boat was stopped off the coast of Alacati in Cesme.

The 100 asylum seekers on board were later handed over to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Coast Guard Command also rescued 34 irregular migrants in waters off the coast of Dikili district in Izmir after they were pushed back by Greek forces in the Aegean Sea.

The irregular migrants, including women and children, were also sent to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management.

Turkey’s five Aegean provinces -- Canakkale, Balikesir, Izmir, Mugla and Aydin -- are prime spots for refugees leaving Turkey for the European Union, with Greek islands lying within sight of the Turkish coast.

In recent years, hundreds of thousands have made short but perilous journeys across the Aegean in a bid to reach northern and western Europe in search of a better life.

Hundreds of people have died at sea as a number of boats carrying refugees sank or capsized. The Turkish Coast Guard has rescued thousands of others.