ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Greek authorities said Friday that a group of 75 migrants who crossed into Europe from North Africa were rescued from a crippled boat south of Crete.
The coast guard said the migrants, believed to have departed from eastern Libya, were taken aboard a commercial ship in the Mediterranean Sea after raising a distress call. Their nationalities were not immediately known. The ship was escorted by a coast guard patrol boat that took them to a port in southern Crete.
The long voyage from Libya to Crete has emerged this year as a new route for people from Africa, the Middle East and Asia to seek a better life in Europe. Those who completed the crossing told Greek authorities that they paid up to 9,000 euros ($9,800) each to smugglers in transit fees.
Of the 42,000 people who entered Greece illegally, more than 3,500 have made it to the United States so far this year, most of them arriving on small boats from Turkey to the eastern Aegean islands, according to the United Nations refugee agency. There is.
The crossing from Libya takes at least two days, but fast smugglers from Turkey can reach the eastern islands within an hour if they can avoid frequent coast guard patrols.
Italy remains the main destination for illegal migrants in Europe, with more than 51,000 people entering the country so far, followed by Spain.
