Migrants reach Greek islands from North Africa, Turkish coast

A group of 76 migrants, including six children, were brought by Greek authorities to the island of Crete early Tuesday (August 20). The migrants, from Syria, Egypt, Sudan and Bangladesh, had arrived in three boats on the shores of the small satellite island of Gavdos, off Crete’s southern coast, before dawn the same day.

The migrants were taken to facilities on Crete for identification and processing, the AP news agency reported. They were expected to apply for asylum.

Concerns were raised by some lawyers and activists about the way in which the 70 migrants were transported from Gavdos to Crete in the “garage” of the passenger ship ‘Samaria’ in “inhumane and dangerous conditions…without water.”

Refugee Support Aegean, a non-profit organization in Greece, posted the claims on X along with a photo it said had been sent by a person on board, showing people seated on the floor among vehicles. 

A similar report was published Wednesday by Efsyn, an independent Greek news site, which also included a photo of the group in the ship’s vehicle area.

The Efsyn article was shared on Facebook by its author, journalist Marios Dionellis. InfoMigrants is investigating the reports and trying to confirm their authenticity.

Boats try to bypass Greece

Migrants arriving on Crete are currently housed in sports facilities, vacant buildings and schools as the island has no state-funded reception centers.

In the past year there has been an increase in the number of people arriving on Crete as well as other islands in the central Aegean Sea. Earlier this year, migrant boats were reported to be arriving on Gavdos ‘almost daily’.

Some analysts say this is because more migrants who set out across the Mediterranean from Libya are attempting to bypass Greece in an effort to reach Italy, also accounting for a marked increase in the number of boats getting into trouble off southern Greece.

Also read: Pylos shipwreck: One year on

The Greek government has provided additional aid for the islands and has proposed setting up processing centers there, after authorities complained that they were being ‘overwhelmed’ by the number of arrivals.

Eastern Aegean route active

Meanwhile migrants – mostly Afghan and Syrian nationals – continue to attempt to reach the eastern Aegean islands from the coast of Turkey. On Tuesday, the Greek coast guard said it picked up a total of 70 people within 24 hours in three separate incidents in the region. The migrants, all of whom had made the crossing from Turkey, were taken to closed reception centers on Samos, Leros and Chios.

Several other groups of migrants were reported to be in distress at sea, including 55 people in a boat between Libya and Greece, due south of Crete. According to Alarm Phone, which monitors and assists migrants in distress in the Mediterranean, the Greek coast guard told it to notify the Libyan authorities of the migrant boat.

In a separate incident, another 90 people on a boat reported to have been drifting near the island of Lesbos has been rescued by Greek authorities. Alarm Phone reported on Tuesday afternoon that the group included a pregnant woman in a critical condition.

Aegean Boat Report, a non-government organization campaigning against what it says are pushbacks of migrants at sea, accused the Greek coast guard of acting to save the migrants only because the public already knew of the incident.

More than 29,000 undocumented migrants have arrived in Greece so far this year, according to figures from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. The vast majority have come by sea.

The Greek authorities continue to face accusations of mistreatment of migrants attempting to reach the country by land and sea routes. Early this year, the BBC accused the coast guard of brutal practices resulting in dozens of deaths. The coast guard has rejected the allegations.

Remarkable rescue

In a remarkable turn of events at the weekend, volunteers and members of the coast guard on the island of Tilos, west of Rhodes, were involved in a rescue of a group of migrants, including a baby boy said to be around 50 days old.

The island’s mayor, Maria Kamma, posted photos and video of the rescue on social media, praising the locals and saying the baby was safe and well. He had reportedly been drinking infant formula prepared with seawater.

Media reports said the group had been stranded for three days in a hilly part of the island after smugglers from Turkey had abandoned them. A pregnant woman was also said to be among the migrants. She was rescued by helicopter, together with other members of the group.

According to Kamma, between 30 and 60 migrants a day arrive on the small island.

With AP, KNA