The Hellenic Coast Guard rescued 65 migrants in two separate operations south of Ierapetra, Crete, and east of Rhodes, under the coordination of the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC).
In the first incident, about 36 people were found aboard a small boat in the early hours of Thursday, September 24, some 40 nautical miles south of Ierapetra, according to the Coast Guard. The vessel was spotted by a passing cargo ship flying the flag of the Marshall Islands.
The migrants were picked up by a Coast Guard patrol boat and taken to the port of Ierapetra. Northwesterly winds of force 4 on the Beaufort scale were blowing in the area at the time.
The rescue followed an operation on Wednesday afternoon, when a sailboat carrying 29 migrants was located 22 nautical miles east of Rhodes. A Coast Guard vessel picked up those on board and transferred them safely to the port of Rhodes.
