File photo.
A total 59 migrants were rescued off a small boat south of Crete Thursday after making the crossing from north Africa, authorities said, amid a continuing surge in arrivals.
The Coast Guard said the boat was located 46 nautical miles off southern Crete. Its passengers were picked up by a patrol boat from the European Union’s Frontex border agency and three merchant ships that were directed to the spot.
Earlier Thursday, the migration ministry said it has picked an abandoned former warehouse complex on the outskirts of Iraklion to be converted into a new temporary detention center for migrants reaching the southern island from north Africa.
Local residents strongly oppose the project.
