120 migrants rescued by Turkish coastguard off western coast – report

Turkey’s coastguard rescued around 120 migrants trying to reach a Greek island on three dinghies early on Friday after they said their passage was blocked by Greek coastguard vessels, Reuters reported.

Migrants shouted as coastguard vessels approached them off the coast of western Turkey’s Izmir province.

The migrants included people from Syria, Afghanistan, Iran and various African countries.
Last week, Ankara said it would no longer stop hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers on its territory from trying to reach Europe.

Several migrants on two of the rescued dinghies claimed their boats’ motors were disconnected by Greek coastguard vessels to prevent them reaching the island of Lesbos, a popular destination for migrants some 25km (16 miles) from Turkey’s coastal town of Dikili.