Status: 11/22/2022 3:46 p.m
The Greek coast guard took about 430 people off a rusty boat off Crete. According to the UN refugee agency, the number of cases in which there was no timely rescue has more than doubled since the beginning of the year.
During a rescue operation, the Greek coast guard rescued hundreds of migrants in distress south of Crete. According to a report by the Greek state radio ERT, there were 430 people. A Coast Guard spokeswoman said the 911 call said there were 400 to 500 people on the boat.
Rescue operation lasted hours
The migrants had already sent a distress signal during the night. However, the rescue operation took hours because of strong winds in the region and the boat with the migrants on board was in danger of capsizing.
The damaged ship was finally towed by two fishing boats under the supervision of the Navy, which had also responded to the emergency call. Images from state television showed a rusty, completely overcrowded boat with people crowded on the deck.
People were brought to Crete
The migrants were taken to the port of Paleochora in southwest Crete. They are said to come mainly from Pakistan and Syria – there are numerous children on board, said the report. The asylum seekers are still on board.
Traffickers use increasingly dangerous routes
Smugglers repeatedly use ancient, barely seaworthy boats to bring migrants from Turkey and countries like Syria and Lebanon past Crete directly to Italy. According to the Greek Coast Guard, machine damage or other problems often occur on the long journey.
Due to increased patrols in the Aegean by the Greek Coast Guard and the EU border protection agency Frontex, smugglers are increasingly using the longer and more dangerous route south of Crete to reach the European Union.
More than 300 people were missing or drowned this year alone
There are always accidents with dead and missing people in distress: It was only at the beginning of November that the coast guard recovered 21 bodies after the sinking of two other refugee boats off the islands of Euboea and Samos. Dozens more people have been missing since then. At least 30 refugees died when their two boats sank off the islands of Lesvos and Kytheria in October.
It is unclear how many boats have sunk in this way this year. It is estimated that the number of drowned and missing migrants in the eastern Mediterranean has exceeded 300 since the beginning of the year, more than doubling compared to the previous year. 2021 were loud Statistics from the UN Refugee Agency a total of 115 people died or could not be found.