Türkİye, Life

238,000+ irregular migrants rescued at sea in 5 years

654 irregular migrants have drowned or died of hypothermia

Ramazan Ercan  | 02.01.2020 - Update : 02.01.2020
238,000+ irregular migrants rescued at sea in 5 years

IZMIR

Turkish coast guard units in the last five years held 238,158 irregular migrants trying to cross to Europe through the Aegean, Mediterranean and Black Seas.

These migrants set out on treacherous journeys by sea and on foot to escape political and economic turmoil in their home countries.

According to information compiled by the Anadolu Agency, irregular migrants trying to cross to Europe reached a record figure of 91,611 in 2015.

Coast guard units rounded up 37,130 migrants in 2016, 21,937 in 2017, and 26,678 in 2018.

After the readmission agreement signed between Turkey and the EU in March 2016, the number of migrants rounded up declined. The figure surged again in 2019 to reach 60,802.

The number of irregular migrants caught increased more than twice as compared to the previous year.

Most illegal immigration initiatives took place in August where coastguard command teams caught 8,245 irregular migrants.

This was followed by 12,068 migrants in September and 11,908 in October.

Some 47,179 irregular migrants were detained by the Coast Guard Command and gendarmerie at the borders.


654 irregular migrants lost their lives

At least 654 migrants have died in the past five years at sea.

Among the casualties were women and children who died of drowning or hypothermia.

In 2015, 279 irregular migrants lost their lives at sea, followed by 192 in 2016, 56 in 2017, 93 in 2018, and 34 in 2019.

In the last five years, 646 people were arrested for human smuggling.





NUMBER OF IRREGULAR MIGRANTS CAUGH ON SEAS

NUMBER OF IRREGULAR IMMIGRANT WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES NUMBER OF ORGANIZERS CAUGHT
201591.611279190
201637.130192118
201721.93756171
201826.6789387
201960.8023480
TOTAL238.158654646

Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.