ISTANBUL, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish coast guards on Monday captured 112 illegal immigrants on a boat off southwestern Turkey in the Aegean Sea.
The boat was intercepted by the coast guards near the Bodrum district in Mugla province, the forces said in a statement.
The illegal immigrants, who are identified as nationals from Somalia, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Yemen and Iraq, were trying to sneak into a foreign country, the state-run Anadolu Agency said.
The Aegean was a favorite route for illegal immigrants fleeing into Europe via Turkey. A deal signed between Turkey and the European Union in March 2016 has helped reduce the flow of illegal immigration.
A total of 24,908 illegal immigrants have attempted to reach Greek islands via Turkey by sea routes this year, up from 20,959 over the same period in 2017, according to figures released by the Turkish coast guard.
Turkish security forces have captured over 251,000 irregular migrants so far this year across the country, Suleyman Soylu, Turkey's interior minister, said earlier in the day.
"The figure indicates a 56-percent year-on-year increase," Soylu was quoted as saying by Anadolu.
Turkish authorities have deported 53,860 illegal immigrants and detained 5,522 human smugglers this year, the minister added.
