A fishing boat carrying nearly 300 migrants to Europe has safely reached a southern Greek island Gavdos after a massive rescue operation in the Mediterranean Sea, AP News reports.
There were no reports of injuries or ill-health among the 283 migrants, the coastguard said.
The search was launched before dawn on Monday after authorities were notified that a ship carrying migrants had been caught in strong winds south of Crete, the coastguard said.
Two coastguard ships, four merchant vessels and two small private boats took part in the operation. The migrant vessel was found 18 nautical miles (20 miles) south of Gavdos, a small island off the southern coast of Crete. The fishing boat was able to reach the port of Gavdos on its own engines and the migrants disembarked safely.
There was no information on the nationality of the migrants or where they sailed from.
Gavdos has become an important destination in recent months for boats carrying migrants crossing the Mediterranean from eastern Libya. Usually people from the Middle East, Africa and Asia seeking a better life in Europe pay thousands of dollars to smugglers for a place on the dangerous and overcrowded boats.
