ISTANBUL

Türkiye rescued 15 irregular migrants in the Aegean Sea after Greek authorities pushed them back into Turkish territorial waters, authorities said Sunday.

Coast guard units rescued the migrants from a rubber boat off the Marmaris district of the western Mugla province, the Turkish Coast Guard said in a statement.

Separately, 57 migrants on board a rubber boat were apprehended off the coast of the Bodrum district in Mugla.

Irregular immigrants were taken to local immigration authorities for deportation.

Türkiye and global rights groups have repeatedly condemned Greece's illegal practice of pushing back asylum seekers, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children.