Nearly 540 migrants rescued off Crete

ATHENS: Nearly 540 migrants crammed on a sailing boat were rescued on Friday south of the island of Crete, the Greek Coast Guard said. The 539 would-be asylum seekers were rescued by a patrol vessel of EU border agency Frontex near the small island of Gavdos in the Libyan Sea, a Coast Guard spokeswoman said. So far, the Coast Guard has recorded nationals from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, and the Palestinian territories aboard the boat, the spokeswoman said. BACKGROUND The 539 would-be asylum seekers will first be taken to the Cretan city of Rethymno.