Greek coast guard patrol boats and the EU border protection agency Frontex have taken on board more than 650 migrants at sea south of the Greek island of Crete in the last two days, ERTNews reported on Saturday, citing LETA referring to DPA.
According to ERTNews, there were 545 people on one fishing vessel. The individuals were initially brought to the ports of small coastal towns in Crete, from where they are planned to be distributed to refugee camps.
Authorities note that calm weather conditions have been observed in the region recently. This has allowed smugglers to send boats to Europe.
This year, nearly 18,000 cases of migrant arrivals have been recorded in Crete. Last year, there were about 5,000.
Most boats depart from the Libyan port of Tobruk. The crossing, just over 300 kilometers long, remains dangerous: just about two weeks ago, dozens of people died south of Crete after their boat capsized.
