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Dozens of migrants arrived or were rescued near Crete on August 20 and 21. The complete tally of people reaching Greece irregularly in those 24 hours is estimated to be well over 200, with some reports placing that number closer to 300. The island of Crete remains a key destination, with most of those making the journey departing from Libya.

A total of 55 migrants succeeded in arriving in Crete by boat without any help on Thursday (August 20). Their landing spot on the coastline was reported to be a rocky terrain near the tourist town of Goudouras, which is hard to reach by land.

The migrants then reportedly attempted to climb over the rocks to move inland.

Residents who noticed the group alerted authorities, leading to coast guard officials arriving at the scene to help bring the group to safety, as reported by Greek broadcaster ERTNews.

This group of migrants is now to be housed and processed in a registration and reception center on the island.

Arrests of South Sudanese youth accused of smuggling

Meanwhile, another group of 49 people needed to be rescued off a small boat that was stuck just south of the island.

This group was confirmed to have departed from the Tobruk area of eastern Libya, located some 300 kilometers south of Crete.

The Coast Guard also said that two teenage boys – aged 15 and 17 – were arrested for allegedly manoeuvring two boats over from Tobruk, acting on behalf of smuggling rings. The vessels, which arrived on the island on Wednesday, were carrying a total of 80 people.

The two teenagers, reported to be nationals of South Sudan, now face charges of assisting illegal entry to Greece and exposing the migrants on board the vessel to danger.

File photo: Residents of Crete are worried about this summer turning into another crisis situation | Source: Greek coast guard

Another 50 migrants rescued at sea

The high volume of arrivals on Thursday continued as another dinghy, carrying roughly 50 migrants, was intercepted by a coast guard vessel in the morning hours of August 21.

Ekathimerini reported that the boat had initially been spotted by a Frontex drone about 70 kilometers from Crete's southern coast.

The passengers were transported to the port of Kali Limenes and are currently undergoing medical checks.

Frontex involved in another rescue

Finally, there was another rescue near Crete on August 19 already, with 34 migrants being rescued about 45 kilometers southwest of Gavdos -- Crete's twin island, which is much smaller in size.

These passengers, however, were rescued by a Frontex vessel after an aircraft operated by Europe's border agency spotted them.

According to reports, the group was transferred to the port of Paleochora in Crete.

Frontex vessels are increasingly involved in rescues operations in the southern Mediterranean Sea | Photo: Reuters

Crete under pressure

Smuggling rings continue to bring dozens of irregular migrants to Crete almost daily.

According to the Greek coast guard, the vast majority of undocumented migrants reaching the island now depart from the region around Tobruk, typically travelling under crammed conditions on unseaworthy boats.

Successful journeys to the island typically take up to two days, though there have been cases of boats being stranded for much longer on this irregular route.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), over 11,500 migrants have managed to reach Crete since the beginning of the year -- accounting for just over half of all migrants landing on Greek soil.

This compares to a total of 49,000 people who managed to enter Greece by irregular means last year.

Aegean Sea: A perilous journey by jet ski

In addition to the arrivals on Crete and Gavdos, there were further rescues in the Aegean Sea.

First, another three migrants managed to reach the eastern island of Chios after departing from the nearby Turkish coast -- by jet ski.

However before landing on the Greek island, their smuggler was reported to have abandoned them in life jackets, floating in the sea, according to statements taken by the coast guard.

The smuggler was reported to then have sped back to Turkey.

File photo: Irregular journeys by jet ski are uncommon but are still part of the smuggling routes and practices to Greece | Photo: Brody Vissers / Freerange

Elsewhere in the Aegean Sea, officials rescued 21 migrants who had run ashore on an uninhabited islet near Rhodes, while another four individuals were discovered on the small island of Pserimos, located close to the Turkish resort town Bodrum.

The four migrants told Greek authorities that they had paid 34,000 euros to a smuggler for the journey to the Greek island on a small inflatable dinghy.

with dpa