More than 230 migrants and refugees reached the Greek island of Kythera on three sailboats this week. The island doesn't usually see many migrant or refugee arrivals.
A group of 67 people arrived on Kythera on Thursday (August 18) aboard a sailboat. This was the third sailboat to arrive on the island within two days -- the southern Greek island already saw the arrival of about 170 migrants and refugees aboard two boats on Wednesday.
The latest group arrived in a harbor on Kythera's western coast and got on to the shore themselves, according to the Greek coast guard.
Greek media reported that most of the group were Afghan nationals, citing the coast guard. Three suspected people smugglers were arrested, according to news agency dpa.
Three sailboats with dozens of migrants on board
The first sailboat arrived on Kythera's southern coast on Wednesday with 93 Afghan nationals, three Turkish citizens and one Pakistani national on board, who all disembarked without help, according to Greek officials. 55 of the group were children, the coast guard said. The group reportedly came from the Cesme area in Turkey. The three Turks were reportedly arrested on suspicion of being people smugglers.
Later that day, another boat carrying 73 people arrived at a small harbor, also on the southern coast, according to local authorities. The group reportedly included 62 Iraqi nationals, nine people from Iran and two Russians, who were arrested as smuggling suspects. 21 minors were reportedly among the group.
Aegean pushbacks, more boats headed to Italy from Turkey
The island of Kythera is located in the southwest of Greece -- much further from the Turkish coast than the southeastern islands like Lesbos, Chios or Samos, which have seen ten of thousands of migrants and refugees arrive in recent years.
Observers believe that all three boats that reached Kythera were aiming to reach Italy from Turkey, probably to avoid patrols and pushbacks allegedly carried out by Greek coast guards on and off Lesbos and other eastern Aegean islands. In the summer time, there are many small pleasure boats in the Aegean and Mediterranean Sea, which makes boats trying to smuggle migrants and refugees from Turkey to EU countries more difficult to spot for coast guards, which in turn leads to more migrant boats in the waters.