Forty-four migrants were rescued early Saturday after their boat was detected in the sea area south of the Greek island of Gavdos, according to the Hellenic Coast Guard.
The small boat was located by an aerial asset operated by Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, as part of an operation coordinated by Greece’s Joint Rescue Coordination Center.
A nearby commercial vessel flying the Singaporean flag proceeded to the rescue operation, safely taking all 44 people on board.
The rescued migrants are being transported to the port of Paleochora in Chania, Crete, escorted by a Hellenic Coast Guard patrol boat.
The rescue took place approximately 45 nautical miles south of Gavdos, an island located south of Crete that lies along a route used by migrant crossings in the eastern Mediterranean.
