More than 100 irregular migrants were rescued from waters south of Crete on Tuesday, in two separate search-and-rescue operations coordinated by the Joint Search and Rescue Centre.
A boatload of 48 foreign nationals in a dinghy was picked up in choppy seas, with winds of up 5 Beaufort, by an Italian-flagged tanker south of Kali Limenes in Heraklion, Crete. They were taken to safety, to the Kali Limenes harbour, where they will be processed and undergo a medical screening.
An additional 67 foreign nationals were later picked up by a freighter flying the Liberian flag south of the island of Gavdos. These were transferred to a Frontex vessel and taken to the port of Agia Galini, where humanitarian aid was provided.