Turkey stops hundreds of Syrians on Black Sea

ANKARA - 11 September 2017: Turkish authorities say they stopped 313 migrants on the Black Sea attempting to reach Balkan countries in the last two days, suggesting the emergence of an alternative route to Europe.

Turkey's coast guard said Sunday it stopped a fishing boat carrying 93 Syrians and one Afghan off the northern coast of Istanbul. The coast guard says they were with a suspected Turkish smuggler, ABC News reported.

The coast guard also intercepted 68 Syrians and two Iranians in a sailboat with one alleged Turkish smuggler 36 nautical miles east of Bulgaria on Saturday.

Late Friday, an official vessel stopped 149 Syrians and two Ukrainians thought to be smugglers in a fishing boat emitting a distress signal 14 nautical miles east of Romania.