19/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - Turkey: 300 illegal Syrian immigrants intercepted. According to a report by the official Anatolia agency, quoted by AFP, on Sunday 18 and Monday 19 January in the Mediterranean, off the southern coast of Mersin, Turkish coastguards boarded and inspected a cargo ship transporting more than 300 illegal immigrants, most of whom were from Syria, travelling to Europe. According to a statement by the local government authorities quoted by the agency, the 30 m-long cargo ship was flying a Togolese flag and was on its way to Italy. The Turkish authorities were alerted when they spotted an unusual cargo of small fishing boats full of blankets and large amounts of food, sailing between the Port of Mersin and a cargo ship, the Burçin, which was moored off the coast. (SP)