Related News
Greek ship tows 700 migrants to safety
Print Edition
A GREEK frigate has towed a disabled cargo ship packed with 700 migrants to safety just off the island of Crete yesterday, in one of the biggest sea rescues mounted by the Mediterranean nation, coast guard officials said.
The Kiribati-flagged MV Baris issued a distress call on Tuesday after developing engine problems 45 kilometers southeast of Crete.
A Greek frigate dispatched to the scene spent over 24 hours fighting off strong winds and waves to tow the ship close to the southeastern port of Ierapetra, where boats had begun transferring migrants to the town.
“The coastguard has been fighting waves since yesterday in a huge rescue operation for 700 souls in very tough conditions,” Shipping Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis told parliament.
Doctors earlier boarded the ship to examine the migrants, who included about 200 women and children.
Most of the migrants were believed to be from Afghanistan and Syria.
Greece is a popular entry point into Europe for thousands of undocumented migrants from Asia and Africa.
In September, Athens warned that it was slipping into a “danger zone” without adequate funds or resources to handle a fast-growing wave of refugees from war-torn nations like Syria and Iraq.
Earlier this week, Pope Francis told Europe’s leaders to do more to help thousands of migrants risking their lives trying to get into the continent, saying they had to stop the Mediterranean becoming “a vast cemetery.”
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
