Turkish Cypriot coast guard forces launched an operation on Saturday to rescue around 300 migrants stranded on a vessel that broke down near Northern Cyprus' coast, officials have said.
The 50-meter-long vessel, Haj Zaher, was adorned with a Tanzanian flag and broke down 4.5 miles away from the port city of Girne in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Turkey also sent additional teams to the scene to save the migrants.
Around 40 women, one of whom is pregnant, and 35 children are reported to be among those stranded.
The vessel narrowly avoided hitting a rocky area and the evacution of migrants is ongoing, officials added.