Cyprus rescues 115 Syrian migrants before their boats sank at sea
The Cypriot authorities announced today, Monday, the rescue of 115 Syrian immigrants who were on board 3 boats, over the past three days.
On Monday, 18 Syrian migrants were rescued by the Cypriot police, after their boat began to enter the water 5.6 kilometers from the southeastern coast of the Mediterranean island.
The police announced that eleven men, three minors, a woman and her three children had sailed from Tartous, Syria, and were taken ashore on a police patrol ship.
The official Cyprus News Agency reported that the woman and her children were taken to hospital after one of the children lost consciousness, and reports indicated that the migrants’ boat sank.
The remaining 14 migrants were taken to a reception center on the western outskirts of the capital, Nicosia.
Police said a 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of facilitating their illegal entry.
The latest operation comes after the police succeeded in rescuing another ninety-seven Syrian migrants who were on two boats during the past three days.
The police added that, on Sunday, they intercepted a boat of more than twelve meters in length carrying fifty-seven men, six women and twenty-three children, 22.5 kilometers off the southeastern coast of the island.
The 86 migrants who set off from Lebanon were brought aboard a police patrol ship to shore and then to a reception centre.
The police confirmed that they had arrested four men, between the ages of 18 and 30, and that they were accused of facilitating the illegal entry of immigrants.
Last Saturday, the police intercepted another small boat with eleven migrants on board, 9.6 kilometers from the southeastern tip of Cyprus.
The police stated that the ten men and one minor left Lebanon on a 17.6-meter boat, and three men, aged between 31 and 47, were arrested.
The Cypriot Ministry of Interior had monitored an increase in the number of Syrian migrants arriving by sea in recent months, despite the significant decrease in asylum applications as a result of government measures to deter arrivals, especially from sub-Saharan Africa.
According to official statistics, the total number of asylum applications during the past June and July has reached 1,285 applications so far this year, which is less than a third compared to the same period last year.
(Associated Press)
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2023-08-21 20:09:50
