Asylum seekers set out on a rubber boat off the Aegean coast of Turkey off the province of Canakkale. They wanted to reach the  Island Lesbos in Greece.

The group, including Afghan, Somali and Central African nationals, was caught by the Greek Coast Guard and pushed back into Turkish waters.

They were on board rubber boats pushed back by the Greek coast guard to Turkish territorial waters, said the sources, who requested not to be named because of restrictions on speaking to the media.

Turkish officials gave them food and clothing after rescuing the migrants.   Two children and five women were amongst the asylum seekers.

Turkey has been one of the main routes for asylum seekers wishing to reach Europe, particularly since the civil war in Syria began in 2011.

The Turkish coast guard, as part of the rescue operation, detected the location of the migrants via drones and then brought them back to shore.

Ankara is already hosting more than 3.5 million Syrian migrants, more than any other country in the world.

The Turkish coast guard has rescued hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers off the Aegean coast in the last three months, after Greece forced them into Turkish territorial waters.

Maritime Business World