ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey’s state-run agency says authorities have raided a boat carrying illegal migrants near Istanbul, capturing 142 Afghans, Burmese and Palestinians.
Anatolia says police and coast guard officers raided the boat off the town of Tekirdag on Thursday. It reported that police had detained 14 people for questioning for allegedly attempting to smuggle the migrants to Europe. It said the migrants had been taken to a sports hall in Tekirdag and would be deported.
Turkey is struggling to stop thousands of migrants from Asia and Africa who enter Turkey illegally, then sneak into the European Union in search of jobs and a better life. Smugglers often take the migrants on fragile and overcrowded boats to the Greek islands, and accidents occur frequently.