Turkey’s coast guard stops nearly 100 migrants at sea

ISTANBUL – Turkey’s coast guard says it has stopped nearly 100 migrants attempting to reach Greece, most of them Syrians.

The coast guard said in a statement that 63 Syrian migrants were intercepted off the coast of Izmir province on Saturday. In accompanying footage, a coast guard vessel is seen following a rubber dinghy. Two Turkish nationals alleged to be smugglers were apprehended.

Footage from the Dogan news agency showed coast guard and security officials transporting a body bag with the remains of a young man thought to be a migrant.

The coast guard says it stopped 36 other migrants on Saturday, also in Izmir.

Nearly 6,000 migrants have been stopped so far this year as part of a deal between Turkey and the European Union to curb illegal migration to Greece.