The group has since disembarked. It is not yet clear how many people this concerns exactly. Greece’s Migration Minister, Notis Mitarachi, said earlier in the day that there were “about 500” people. “We are still counting them,” a Coast Guard spokeswoman said.
The blue, rusty boat with which the migrants got into trouble was in very bad shape and overloaded with people. According to the Greek public broadcaster, these are mainly Syrians and Egyptians, and there were also about a hundred children on the boat.
The Coast Guard said it received the distress call from the ship just after midnight. Two cargo ships, an oil tanker and two Italian fishing boats were nearby to provide assistance, they added.
A fishing boat that came to the rescue finally pulled the troubled vessel to the port of Paleochora, in southwest Crete. The rescue operation was hampered by strong winds in the area southwest of Crete.
In a tweet, Minister Mitarachi has already asked the European Commission to “activate resettlements to other EU member states in the name of European solidarity”.
On Friday, the competent ministers from the 27 Member States are just meeting on this thorny issue. The reason for the consultations is the Franco-Italian crisis about the reception of another boat with refugees on board.