A total 257 migrants were rescued in four successive search and rescue operations conducted on Wednesday, August 26, under the guidance of Greece’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, in the seas south of Crete, the Hellenic Coast Guard announced.
The latest operation was launched after a FRONTEX unmanned aerial vehicle spotted a boat carrying around 39 foreign nationals, 19 nautical miles southeast of Kali Limenes.
The migrants were rescued by a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel and were being taken to the port of Kali Limenes.
It was preceded by three consecutive search and rescue operations in the early hours of Wednesday, south and southwest of Ierapetra, Crete. Around 218 people were rescued from boats during those operations.
According to recent government data published on Tuesday, Greece recorded a 35 percent drop in migrant arrivals in the past 12 months, compared to the previous 12-month period.
The difference amounts to almost twenty thousand fewer arrivals, while, on the other hand, during the first seven months of 2026, the total number of returns rose by 20 percent compared with the same period a year earlier.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
