Turkish Coast Guard rescued 60 irregular migrants from a boat off the coast of western Çanakkale province, Turkish Coast Guard Command said in a statement on Monday.

According to the statement, Greek Coast Guard forces pushed the boat carrying 31 irregular migrants, including 4 children and 10 women, back to Turkey. They were rescued off the coast of the Ayvacık district of Çanakkale province.

Turkey has traditionally been a major transit port for irregular immigrants to enter the European countries.

According to the official reports, 454,662 irregular migrants held across the country in 2019. (ILKHA)