ISTANBUL, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish coast guard has rescued 13 illegal Syrian migrants from an inflatable boat in danger of sinking off Turkey's Aegean coast, the force said on Tuesday.

At least four children were saved along with others near Datca district in Turkey's southwestern province of Mugla.

The Syrians are believed to have tried to sneak into a Greek island, said the coast guard.

Forty-one illegal foreign migrants were rescued from their inflatable boat last month in Izmir, western Turkey.

The Aegean Sea was a favorite route for illegal migrants seeking to sneak into Europe via Turkey, but a deal signed between Turkey and the European Union in March 2016 has reduced the flow of illegal migration through this route.

Since this year, a total of 1,829 migrants have attempted to reach a Greek island via Turkey, up from 976 over the same period in 2017, according to figures released by the Turkish coast guard.