A group of 29 migrants was saved on Tuesday from a distressed boat in the Mediterranean Sea, located south of Crete, as stated by Greek authorities. This area has become a busier migration route from North Africa to Europe. The boat, which was disabled, was found approximately 27 miles south of Gavdos, a small island off the southern coast of Crete, by a passing merchant ship after the passengers issued a distress call.
These migrants were being transported to southern Crete, but there is no immediate information available regarding their health, nationality, or where they boarded the boat. Southern Crete and Gavdos, located 27 nautical miles from the island, have experienced a significant rise in migrant arrivals this year. Many depart from the eastern Libyan port of Tobruk, paying smuggling groups up to $5,000 per person.
According to United Nations statistics, over 1,200 individuals have reached this area this year, out of approximately 9,600 who arrived in Greece by sea. Just recently, on Sunday, another 74 individuals were rescued from a boat south of Gavdos. This island, measuring about 11 square miles and inhabited by only a few dozen residents in the winter, has seen an increase in migrant-related activities. Authorities later arrested two individuals from the rescued vessel on suspicion of involvement in a migrant-smuggling operation.
