Another search and rescue operation of irregular migrants was carried out by Greek and international authorities on Sunday afternoon off the coast of Crete.

This time, 42 foreign nationals were spotted aboard a vessel in the sea area 30 nautical miles southeast of the island of Gavdos, near Crete.

According to reports at AMNA, the operation was coordinated by the Hellenic Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) and supported by a FRONTEX vessel.

FRONTEX located the boat, onboarded the migrants, and transported them to the port of Agia Galini, for support from the competent authorities.

The news comes amidst an uptick in migrant arrivals off the coast of Crete, where AMNA says over 500 foreign nationals have been picked up by the Hellenic Coast Guard. Previous reports reveal that migrant traffickers were also found to have been invovled in the rescue incidents.

As the weather warms up, migrant flows to Greece from the north coast of African and Turkey, via sea routes, traditionally increase.