Bucharest: The Romanian Coast Guard has intercepted a fishing boat containing dozens of migrants from Turkey.
The boat was intercepted early Thursday morning, Xinhua news agency reported.
The overcrowded boat, which did not have rescue equipment for more than 50 people on board, was in the Romanian territorial waters of the Black Sea, according to the Romanian authorities.
It was six nautical miles from the nearest town to the shore when it was intercepted by a Coast Guard vessel.
The boat was brought to the Port of Constanta, where the migrants are being interviewed by border police.
Romanian authorities have not yet announced the citizenship of the migrants.
Meanwhile, on the western border of Romania with Hungary, 58 migrants from different countries have been found in the last 24 hours. The migrants were trying to escape Romania illegally, hidden in four trucks transporting goods to Schengen Area countries.
According to border police, these migrants include citizens of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iraq, Nepal, Pakistan, Syria and Turkey.
Romania has become a transit point for migrants to the Schengen area in recent years. They were often smuggled into the country from the Black Sea or the southwestern border with Serbia, and then leave for the Schengen area through the borders with Romania and Hungary.
–IANS