Greek authorities rescued a large number of people in several incidents on Wednesday from waters off western Greece to the eastern Aegean Sea. Around 150 of those rescued were on yachts thought to have been headed for Italy.
The Greek coast guard said Wednesday that it had rescued 76 people from a yacht 118 kilometers (64 nautical miles) southwest of the island of Zakynthos in the Ionian Sea (western Greece). The migrants were taken onto a passing Egyptian-flagged cargo ship, the AP news agency said. No one was reported as missing
In a separate incident, 80 people were rescued by the coast guard from a yacht off Kythnos island in the Cyclades group, southeast of Athens. All were in good health and were taken to the port of Kythnos. A video published by the coast guard showed many children on board. Three people were reportedly arrested on charges of people smuggling.
A further 29 people were rescued Wednesday from boats off islands near Turkey in the eastern Aegean Sea, the coast guard said.
The previous day, 90 people were rescued in four separate incidents in the same region.
More migrants arrive, more lives lost
Greece has reported an increase in the number of migrants arriving on boats over the last two months, especially via the eastern Aegean route from Turkey. Greek authorities attribute the rise in arrivals to favorable summer weather and conflict or instability in African countries which create a ‘push factor’ and more departures.
According to the latest figures from the United Nations, more than 17,300 people have reached Greece by land and sea so far this year. Arrivals in Greece for the whole of 2022 totalled 19,000.
Since the start of 2023, about 13,500 have arrived by sea, with 5,500 reaching the island of Lesbos alone.
Arrivals by sea in Greece make up about a tenth of this year’s Mediterranean crossings. Most arrivals – about 113,000 – were in Italy.
The Central Mediterranean Sea route – between the Libyan, Tunisia, Maltese and Italian search and rescue areas – remains the deadliest known migration route in the world, according to the UN migration agency, IOM.
As of August 28, more than 2,065 deaths and disappearances had been recorded on this route since the beginning of 2023. The IOM says there is strong evidence that the actual number of deaths is much higher, since many boats disappear with no survivors and therefore go unrecorded.
In the Eastern Mediterranean, as of August 28 there had been 53 recorded deaths or disappearances so far this year.
Also read: Lesbos: At least four people dead after migrant boat sinks
In June, one of the biggest migrant boat disasters in history occurred in the Central Mediterranean off southwestern Greece. A fishing trawler heading from Libya to Italy with as many as 750 people on board sank in deep water near the coastal town of Pylos. There were only 104 survivors. Greek authorities were heavily criticized for failing to evacuate the vessel in time.
Human rights groups have also accused Greece of carrying out summary deportations of people arriving in the country without allowing them to apply for asylum. The Greek government has strongly denied involvement in this illegal practice, known as pushbacks.