04 November 2015•Update: 05 November 2015
MUGLA, Turkey
At least 129 refugees, mostly Syrian, have been rescued off the coast of Turkey’s western Mugla province.
The Wednesday operation followed a failed attempt to reach the nearby Greek island of Rhodes, Turkish coast guard officials have said.
Refugees were reported to have arrived in Gemiler Bay on Tuesday and stayed in the woods overnight. A 14-meter day-trip vessel packed with 129 Afghan and Syrian refuges, 33 children among them, then sailed towards Rhodes and was just 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) away when its engine broke down.
The Turkish Coast Guard discovered the scene during a scheduled patrol in the early hours of Wednesday. The refugees, including a number of babies, were taken on board the Turkish craft.
