Migrants in the southern Aegean are once again in distress – the Greek coast guard was able to rescue all 61 passengers from the overcrowded sailing boat. Two inmates were arrested as suspected smugglers.
The Greek coast guard rescued 61 migrants from the sea south of the Cyclades island of Serifos. The incident happened on Friday, according to the authorities. Accordingly, the approximately 15-meter-long, overcrowded sailing boat was in distress.
Four patrol boats, an airplane and a tanker were involved in the search and rescue work. Two of the inmates were arrested as suspected smugglers. The migrants are to be taken to a registration camp near Athens.
Bad luck in June
Greece says it has seen an increasing number of smuggler boats bringing migrants into the country over the past two months. Most tried to get to Greek islands in the Aegean from the Turkish coast in rubber boats.
In June, a fishing trawler carrying an estimated 500 to 750 people sank in international waters southwest of Greece. Only 104 people survived.
registration warehouse fill up
From Thursday to today alone, around 500 migrants arrived on Greek islands. This is also shown by the occupancy of the registration camps on the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos: According to the Ministry of Migration, almost 4,000 migrants lived there at the end of June. At the end of August, there were 8,430, more than twice as many. The total capacity of the warehouses is 15,000.