A Greek ferry rescued 72 migrants found in a sailboat in distress 14.4 nautical miles southeast of Karpathos in the Aegean Sea and was transporting them to the nearest major port, Greek authorities said Tuesday. The Hellenic Coast Guard reported the incident, mentioning that in the afternoon hours of June 1 the port authority of Karpathos was informed about the provision of assistance to the distress boat.
The Ro-Ro passenger ship Blue Star Chios passing through the area on a scheduled route from Rhodes to Piraeus found the boat, the Hellenic coast guard said.
The local search and rescue plan was immediately activated with a coast guard lifeboat arriving at the scene.
In an operation coordinated by Greece’s unified search and rescue coordination center, all those on board the boat were picked up by the ferry sailing in the area, accompanied by Hellenic Coast Guard officers, and were being transported to the port of Piraeus, authorities said.
There were no reports of any people missing. The Coast Guard said the 72 individuals were safely recovered (43 men, 14 women and 15 minors), highlighting the swift response of Greek authorities and maritime services in ensuring their safety.
The Central Port Authority of Piraeus, which is conducting the preliminary investigation, identified three of the above individuals (nationals of Iran), aged 27, 37 and 28, as the traffickers of the others, and were arrested for several violations under the Greek criminal law code including “illegal entry into the country.”
According to a statement by the rescued, they set off in the afternoon hours of May 31 from the wider area of Bodrum, paying amounts of money ranging from 2,000 to 8,000 euros for their transport to Greece.
During their transport, the boat experienced an influx of water, resulting in it sinking.
Built in 2007, the Greek ferry is 141 meters in length and has a passenger capacity for a total of 1,782 passengers.
