CANAKKALE, Turkey
Turkey's coast guard rescued 28 Afghan migrants on Sunday as their boat was in danger of sinking in the Aegean Sea.
The Coast Guard team told AA that the migrants had sailed from Turkey's Ayvacik District and headed for the Greek island Lesbos.
After sailing over a kilometer from the shore, the migrants sent out a distress signal to the Turkish Coast Guard after their boat began take on water.
After being rescued by a coast guard team, the migrants were later turned over to the Ayvacik Repatriation Center.
Turkey has experienced a major increase in the number of migrants attempting to reach Europe from the country's western coast, resulting in the sinking of several vessels.
In August 2013, a speed boat carrying illegal migrants capsized in international waters of Turkey's Aegean Sea, resulting in the death of 24 passengers.
In another incident in September, a boat carrying illegal migrants sank in international waters with around 50 passengers onboard. All of the migrants were later recovered by Turkish rescue teams.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
