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The coast guard said the migrants, who are believed to have set
off from eastern Libya, were picked up in the Mediterranean Sea
by a merchant ship after issuing a distress call. Their
nationalities were not immediately known. The vessel, escorted
by a coast guard patrol boat, was taking them to a port in
southern Crete.
The long voyage from Libya to Crete has emerged this year as a
new route for people from Africa, the Middle East and Asia to
seek a better life in Europe. People who have completed the
crossing told Greek authorities they paid smuggling gangs up to
9,000 euros ($9,800) each for the passage.
More than 3,500 people have made the crossing so far this year,
according to the United Nations refugee agency, out of a total
of 42,000 who entered Greece illegally — mostly reaching the
eastern Aegean Sea islands in small boats from Turkey.
The crossing from Libya takes at least two days, while a fast
smuggling boat from Turkey can reach the eastern islands in well
under an hour, provided it can dodge frequent coast guard
patrols.
Italy remains the main European destination for illegal
migration, with more than 51,000 arrivals so far, and is
followed by Spain.
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