According to official figures compiled up to Monday, 446 irregular migrants have arrived in the European Union via Greek waters since the beginning of the year.
The Greek coastguard reported that 315 of these individuals were intercepted in six boats south of Crete. The migrants stated they had departed from Libya.
An additional 131 adults and children crossed from the Turkish coast to the Greek islands of Symi, Chios, and Farmakonisi. The nationalities of this group are not yet known.
The number of sea arrivals in Greece facilitated by smuggling operations saw a substantial increase in 2024. Preliminary data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) indicates that almost 54,000 migrants reached Greece by small boat last year.
Greek Migration Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos has stated that the majority of these migrants intended to continue their journey to Germany.