Greek authorities said on Thursday they had rescued dozens of migrants, most of them Sudanese and Bangladeshis, as they approached the country’s shores, including some Egyptians.
Irregular migrant arrivals to southern Crete have continued, with at least 202 migrants reaching the Greek island in less than 48 hours in successive journeys launched from the Libyan coast, according to a Greek newspaper, putting increasing pressure on the island’s authorities and reception centres.
According to Dimokratia newspaper, authorities said on Thursday morning that a new boat carrying 40 migrants had arrived in the south-eastern area of Ierapetra after being detected by an aircraft belonging to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex.
A coastguard patrol, assisted by a fishing boat, transported the passengers to the port of Ierapetra, where registration procedures and identity checks began.
The operation came hours after two other boats arrived carrying 112 migrants. The first group consisted of 56 people, including 31 Sudanese and 25 Bangladeshis, while the second group included 56 migrants, among them 47 Bangladeshis and nine Egyptians.
All arrivals were transferred to a temporary accommodation centre at Heraklion Port, which continues to be used to receive migrants as the number of arrivals to the island increases.
Separately, Greek authorities announced the arrest of a 16-year-old boy holding South Sudanese nationality, suspected of involvement in the smuggling of 50 migrants who were rescued in a previous operation 28.5 nautical miles south-west of Ierapetra.
According to migrants’ statements, the suspect allegedly piloted the journey from the Libyan city of Tobruk to Greece in exchange for payments ranging between $1,500 and $2,000 per migrant.