Cargo ship rescues 81 migrants off southern Peloponnese
A Panamanian-flagged cargo ship brought 81 men, women and children safely to shore in Kalamata in the southwestern Peloponnese on Sunday, after the smuggling boat they were sailing in ran into trouble off the coast of Pylos, state broadcaster ERT reported on Tuesday.
Greek authorities processed the passengers of the vessel and have arrested four on charges of migrant smuggling.
The passengers said they had started their journey in the early hours of October 9 near Fethiye on Turkey’s southwestern coast and were bound for Italy. However, the possibility of landing in Greece as their final destination had not been ruled out, they said.
They claimed to have paid around $8,500 each to a gang of smugglers.
The rescued passengers are being temporarily kept at warehouses in the port of Kalamata until they are transported to a migrant facility.
The sea route south of Greece is popular with smugglers transporting undocumented migrants from Turkey to Italy. It was also the site of a tragic sinking in June 2023 that cost hundreds of lives.
