Two migrants drown of Turkish coast and several rescued

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(credit: GNA)

At least two people drowned when their boat capsized in the Aegean Sea off the Turkish city of Izmir, the Turkish coastguard said.

A total of 24 people managed to reach the coast of Urla district where authorities rescued them, the coastguard said on Tuesday.

Elsewhere along the coast near the neighboring city of Mugla, a total of 60 migrants were rescued on Monday, the coastguard said, showing images of people, including toddlers, rescued from makeshift rubber boats.

The nationalities of the migrants were not immediately clear.

Greek authorities had pushed some of the migrants back towards Turkey, the coastguard said.

Turkey has been a major transit route for migrants, particularly from neighboring Syria, trying to reach Europe by boat.