Turkish Coast Guard rescued 60 irregular migrants from boats off the coasts of Turkey’s southwestern Muğla province, Turkish Coast Guard Command announced in a statement on Saturday.

According to the statement, Greek Coast Guard forces pushed the boats carrying irregular migrants back to Turkish territorial waters.

The migrants were handed over to the Provincial Directorate of Immigration Administration after the identification process, the statement said.

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)