ISTANBUL, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Eleven illegal migrants were apprehended while attempting to flee in a vehicle after ignoring a stop warning in the northwestern Turkish province of Tekirdag, local media reported on Friday.
The incident occurred Thursday night as gendarmerie forces launched an operation to combat irregular migration in the Saray district, according to the Ihlas news agency.
After the vehicle was stopped by a road spike, the migrants tried to evade arrest in the darkness but were captured by commando teams in a nearby field.
Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the suspected human smuggler, who remains at large, Ihlas added, without mentioning the identities or nationalities of the apprehended migrants.
Türkiye's northwestern Thrace region, near the borders with Greece and Bulgaria, has recently become a preferred route for irregular migrants trying to enter Europe illegally by land. To combat human trafficking, police regularly conduct checks at key points along this route. ■