Greek authorities said on Thursday they had rescued dozens of migrants, most of them Sudanese and Bangladeshis, as they approached the country’s shores, including some Egyptians.
Irregular migrant arrivals to southern Crete have continued, with at least 202 migrants reaching the Greek island in less than 48 hours in successive journeys launched from the Libyan coast, according to a Greek newspaper, putting increasing pressure on the island’s authorities and reception centres.
According to Dimokratia newspaper, authorities said on Thursday morning that a new boat carrying 40 migrants had arrived in the south-eastern area of Ierapetra after being detected by an aircraft belonging to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex.
A coastguard patrol, assisted by a fishing boat, transported the passengers to the port of Ierapetra, where registration procedures and identity checks began.
The operation came hours after two other boats arrived carrying 112 migrants. The first group consisted of 56 people, including 31 Sudanese and 25 Bangladeshis, while the second group included 56 migrants, among them 47 Bangladeshis and nine Egyptians.
