43 Migrants rescued off north Cyprus coast

43 Migrants including children, have been rescued off the coast of north Cyprus by Turkish Cypriot and Turkish coast guard boats after their vessel broke down.

The incident which happened on Monday, December, 18 was reported in the Turkish Cypriot press on Thursday.

According to a statement by Turkey’s Mersin governor’s office,  the Turkish Cypriot coast guard teams got information on a boat experiencing technical difficulties 24km off Güzelyurt openings.

Two boats were then dispatched to rescue the migrants of which 42 were found to be Syrian nationals and one Iraqi.

The migrants, along with the boat, were then taken to a port in Turkey’s Mersin province.

Turkey is one of the main routes migrants have used to try and cross into Europe since the beginning of the Syrian civil war.