Thirty-six foreign nationals were safely transferred to the port of Gavdos after being located in a boat approximately 10 nautical miles south of the island, the Hellenic Coast Guard announced.
The boat was spotted by a passing Dutch-flagged vessel. The rescue operation was coordinated by the Joint Rescue Coordination Center, with a coast guard patrol boat carrying out the pickup and transfer of the 36 migrants to Gavdos.
Gavdos, a small island south of Crete, is the southernmost point of Greece and of the European Union. Its location in the central Mediterranean has made it a frequent landing point for boats crossing from the North African coast.
The latest incident adds to a recent string of arrivals in the area. It came just one day after extensive search and rescue operations south of Crete and Gavdos, during which hundreds of migrants and refugees traveling in boats were rescued.
Those earlier operations were also coordinated by the Joint Rescue Coordination Center and involved vessels and aircraft of the Hellenic Coast Guard, along with units from Frontex, the European Union’s border and coast guard agency.
