The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) has rescued more than 200 migrants near the coast of the southern Greek island of Crete over the past 48 hours. Most of the rescued migrants are nationals of Sudan and Bangladesh; several Egyptian nationals are also among them.
Greek media reported that at least 202 migrants reached Crete in under 48 hours aboard several vessels that set out from the Libyan coast, putting growing pressure on the island’s authorities and reception centres.
On Thursday morning, after being spotted by a Frontex aircraft, a boat carrying 40 migrants reached the south-eastern coast of Ierapetra. A coast guard patrol then brought the migrants to Ierapetra port with the help of a fishing boat. There they were registered and their identities verified.
A few hours earlier, another 112 migrants had arrived on two vessels. The first boat carried 56 people — 31 Sudanese and 25 Bangladeshi. The second boat also carried 56 — 47 Bangladeshi and 9 Egyptian nationals.
All those rescued have been taken to a temporary shelter at Heraklion port.
Meanwhile, in a separate operation, Greek authorities have arrested a 16-year-old boy from South Sudan. He is accused of involvement in the trafficking of 50 migrants rescued in an earlier operation. The allegation is untested.
According to those migrants, the suspect had steered the boat during the journey from the Libyan city of Tobruk toward Greece. Each migrant was charged between $1,500 and $2,000 for the crossing.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report