More than 200 migrants were rescued off small boats south of the island of Crete over the past 24 hours after crossing the Mediterranean sea from north Africa, authorities said Wednesday.
The Coast Guard said that a total of 234 people were found on five boats off the island of Gavdos, south of Crete, and off Ierapetra and Kali Limenes on Crete early Wednesday and late Tuesday.
More than 130 people were rescued in the same area early Tuesday.
Crete has emerged as the main destination for people from the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and Africa seeking a better life in the European Union, who set off for the Greek island from the region of Tobruk in eastern Libya after paying smugglers for their passage.
More than 9,100 people have reached Crete so far this year, while total arrivals for the whole of Greece are nearly 18,600.
