The Turkish coastguard rescued on Saturday a total of 24 irregular migrants who were illegally attempting to cross to Europe through the Aegean Sea.

Local news outlets said a rubber boat carrying dozens of irregular migrants – including children – went adrift off the coast of the Aegean province of Izmir.

24 migrants, including women and children, were rescued, according to Anadolu News Agency.

21 migrants are reportedly Syrian nationals and three are Palestinians. They were taken to the migration directorate in Izmir.

Turkey has been a key transit point for irregular migrants, including Palestinian asylum-seekers, aiming to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

The illegal migration trend gained momentum with the unrest in the Middle East, especially since the beginning of the Syrian war in 2011.

Some 268,000 irregular migrants were held in Turkey in 2018, according to the Interior Ministry.