Turkish authorities detained a boat carrying more than 200 Afghan migrants in the Aegean sea heading for Europe, Turkey's coastguard and the International Organisation for Migration said on Wednesday, Reuters reported. 

208 undocumented migrants were stopped en route to Italy, the Turkish coast guard and the International Organization for Migration told Reuters. 

The coast guard detained two Turkish nationals sailing the boat and escorted migrants to a deportation center in the western Turkish town of Ayvacik, the official also said. 

In recent weeks, Turkey has faced a fresh influx of Afghan migrants crossing from its southeastern border with Iran amid rising violence in Afghanistan. 

Turkish authorities captured some 1,500 migrants last week. 

On July 11 at least 12 migrants were killed--including Afghans, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis--and 26 others were wounded in a bus crash in eastern Turkey in the early hours of Sunday morning. 

Turkey is a key transit point for migrants aiming to cross into Europe.   

Migrants, mostly from Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, regularly cross the Iranian border into Turkey on foot before being ferried west to cities such as Istanbul and Ankara, according to the report.