Athens, Sept. 5, (dpa/GNA) – The Greek coastguard reported on Thursday its vessels had picked up 226 boatpeople in the Aegean Sea and to the south of Crete over the past three days, with around 120 of the migrants embarking from Tobruk on the Libyan coast.
All of the migrants were in good health, with those embarking from Tobruk taken to Crete, which lies some 200 kilometres due north of the Libyan port.
The coastguard reported that dozens of migrants had embarked from Turkey’s Aegean coast in small groups heading for the Greek islands of Samos, Chios, Tilos and Symi, all of which lie directly off the Turkish coastline.
Five suspected people-traffickers had been detained and brought before the courts, it said.
According to the UN refugee body (UNHCR), 32,694 migrants arrived in Greece between the beginning of the year and the beginning of September.
Greek journalists report that most of new arrivals say when asked that they do not wish to stay in Greece but to travel on to Central Europe.