AEGEAN SEA

Turkey has accused Greece of pushing back migrants through inhuman ways as a state policy and the European Union of turning a blind eye to this blatant violation of human rights after 19 migrants froze to death after being pushed back by Greek authorities in the past weeks.

The Turkish Coast Guard last year rescued 23,676 irregular migrants in the Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Sea and 15,794 of them were pushed back by Greek authorities into Turkish waters.

In 2021, a total of 619 pushback incidents took place, according to data from the Turkish Coast Guard.

Turkish security forces have recovered the bodies of seven more irregular migrants, who froze to death after Greek border guards pushed them back, bringing the number of the fatalities to 19.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said the bodies of 12 irregular migrants were found near the İpsala border crossing between Turkey and Greece without shoes and stripped of their clothes.

Turkey's Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has slammed Greek authorities, claiming that the Greek has thrown three migrants into the Aegean Sea, which resulted in one of the victims' death.

Soylu said on Twitter that two of the migrants were rescued while the other one had died following an incident off the coast of the Çeşme district in Turkey's İzmir province.

Turkish authorities have imposed a total fine of 7.6 million Turkish Liras ($568.000) on 83 companies and institutions for failing to fulfill their environmental commitments and polluting the Gediz River in the Aegean province of Manisa.

The Turkish Coast Guard has rescued dozens of irregular migrants in the Aegean Sea who were pushed back to Turkish territorial waters by Greece.

Acting on information that there were migrants on a dinghy off the coast of the Dikili district of the province of İzmir, units launched an operation and rescued 24 people who were pushed back to the Turkish waters by Greek authorities.

A total of 90 migrants have been rescued by Turkish authorities in the Aegean Sea, according to a statement.

Turkey's Coast Guard Command said yesterday that it rescued a total of 90 migrants off Muğla and Balıkesir provinces.

The statement noted that 20 of the migrants were rescued off Bodrum district in Muğla, while 25 were helped off the coast of Marmaris district.

A British groom and an Indian bride, who have become the latest foreigners to choose Turkey as their wedding destination, have tied the knot in a 48-hour-long wedding ceremony held in the southwestern province of Muğla.

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit the Aegean Sea early on Nov. 30, according to Turkey's disaster agency AFAD. 

 The quake jolted the western Izmir province at 7 a.m. local time.

The epicenter of the quake was 56.18 kilometers (34.90 miles) from Urla district, with a depth of 3.97 kilometers (2.46 miles).

No casualties have been reported so far.

The Turkish Coast Guard has rescued nearly 100 irregular migrants in the Aegean Sea over the weekend.

Acting on the information that a group of irregular migrants were sailing in a boat off the coast of Karaada in the Çeşme district of the western province of İzmir, the Coast Guard launched an operation.

The team rescued 29 irregular migrants.