The Turkish Coast Guard rescued 20 irregular migrants, including eight children, after they were allegedly pushed back into Turkish territorial waters by Greek elements off the coast of Marmaris in Türkiye’s southwestern Muğla province, officials announced Thursday.

According to a statement issued by the Turkish Coast Guard Command, authorities received a distress call reporting a group of migrants stranded in a life raft in the Aegean Sea. A Coast Guard boat, identified as TCSG-26, was immediately dispatched to the area.

The team successfully located and rescued the group, who had reportedly been forced into Turkish waters by Greek forces.

“The Coast Guard Boat (TCSG-26) rescued 12 irregular migrants, including 8 children, who had been pushed back into Turkish territorial waters by Greek elements,” the statement said, clarifying that the total of 20 rescued individuals included those children.

One suspected migrant smuggler involved in the incident was also apprehended, according to officials.

The rescued migrants were safely brought ashore, where they were provided with medical checks and handed over to local migration authorities for processing. Their nationalities have not yet been disclosed.

This incident marks the latest in a string of similar confrontations in the Aegean Sea, where Türkiye has repeatedly accused Greece of carrying out illegal and dangerous pushback operations—forcibly returning asylum seekers and migrants without assessing their protection claims.

Ankara maintains that such actions violate international humanitarian law and endanger lives at sea, while Athens has often countered by accusing Türkiye of failing to prevent irregular crossings.

The Turkish Coast Guard said it would continue to respond swiftly to distress calls and uphold the country’s humanitarian responsibilities in the region. (ILKHA)