ISTANBUL, Sept 30: Turkish police on Tuesday detained 113 illegal immigrants from Pakistan who were planning to head to western Europe, the Anatolia news agency reported.

The group was found hiding in the basement of a building in Bagcilar district, on Istanbul’s European side, the report said.

Upon breaking down the door to the basement, police found 113 Pakistani men sleeping on blankets in a stuffy room.

Police were looking for the owner of the basement, it added.

Turkey is a major route for human-smuggling from Asia into Europe, and illegal immigrants are detained almost on a daily basis. The immigrants mostly risk their lives trying to cross to Greece or Italy by land or sea journeys, often aboard unseaworthy vessels.—AFP