Around 150 migrants have been rescued from overloaded sailboats provided by smugglers in two separate incidents on Wednesday, one occurring far off a western Greek island and the other near a Cycladic island close to the Greek capital, as confirmed by the coast guard.
In the initial case, a group of 76 individuals was successfully rescued from a distressed yacht positioned 64 nautical miles southwest of Zakynthos, an Ionian Sea island in western Greece. The coast guard swiftly intervened, and all passengers were safely transferred onto a passing Egyptian-flagged cargo ship. Fortunately, there were no reports of anyone missing, and the migrants were said to be in stable condition.
Although the origin of the sailboat remains unclear, this region often serves as a passage for smuggling vessels transporting migrants from Turkey or northern Africa to Italy.
In the second incident, approximately 80 individuals were safely evacuated from a sailboat off Kythnos island, a member of the Cyclades archipelago southeast of Athens. The coast guard affirmed that all migrants were in good health and were subsequently transported to the port of Kythnos.
Concurrently, the Greek coast guard engaged in two separate rescue missions to retrieve 29 migrants from boats near islands bordering Turkey in the eastern Aegean Sea. Just the day prior, an additional 90 individuals had been rescued across four separate incidents within the same region.
Greece has observed a surge in the arrival of smuggling boats ferrying migrants into the nation during the past two months, with most of the vessels being small dinghies destined for the eastern Aegean islands adjacent to the Turkish coast.
For decades, Greece has stood as a primary entry point into the European Union for individuals escaping conflicts or seeking refuge from poverty in regions such as the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, all in pursuit of better opportunities in Europe.
The most recent United Nations data indicates that more than 17,300 individuals have reached Greece by both land and sea this year. Over 13,500 arrivals were made via sea routes, with 5,500 reaching the island of Lesvos alone.
The influx of arrivals comprises over a tenth of this year’s total successful Mediterranean crossings, with Italy receiving the highest number at around 113,000. In comparison, Greece saw a total of 19,000 arrivals throughout 2022.
Greece has attributed the recent surge in migrant crossings to improved summer weather, heightened unrest in African regions, and smugglers exploiting the seasonal increase in small boat traffic in the Aegean during the tourist season.
After experiencing a peak in Europe’s migration crisis in 2015, during which nearly a million people entered Greece, the country intensified its patrols along both sea and land borders with Turkey to halt the influx. Nonetheless, accusations of summary deportations and human rights concerns have persisted, leading to further scrutiny of the government’s practices.
