Turkish coast guard rescues 57 stranded on tiny island

Turkish coast guard rescues 57 stranded on tiny island

January 03, 2016
A rescue team monitoring refugees and migrants as they cross the Aegean sea on a dinghy from Turkish coasts to the Greek island of Lesbos, on Friday, Dec. 25, 2015. — AP
A rescue team monitoring refugees and migrants as they cross the Aegean sea on a dinghy from Turkish coasts to the Greek island of Lesbos, on Friday, Dec. 25, 2015. — AP

ISTANBUL — The Turkish coast guard has rescued 57 people who were stranded on a tiny island in the Aegean Sea after attempting to reach Greece.

The state-run Anadolu news agency says helicopters evacuated 12 people including three sick children from the islet near the Turkish coastal town of Dikili in Izmir province. Small fishing boats helped rescue the others, as coast guard vessels were unable to navigate the rocky area.

There was no mention of fatalities or the nationalities of those rescued.

More than a million people reached Europe in 2015 in the continent's largest influx of refugees since the end of World War II. Nearly 3,800 migrants didn't make it, losing their lives in the Mediterranean after their overcrowded boats sunk.

The Greek islands were a major entry point. — AP


January 03, 2016
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