Cyprus picks up 33 migrants packed on small boat

Cyprus authorities say a marine police patrol vessel has safely brought to port 33 migrants packed aboard a small boat that was sailing off the east Mediterranean island's southeastern coast.

Police say the migrants included 17 men, six women, eight infants and two children, all but one of them Syrian. It's unclear where the boat set sail but police said it must be from a neighboring Mideast nation.

The police vessel intercepted the migrants' eight-meter (26-foot) boat based on information that it was heading toward Cyprus. The migrants were taken to Larnaca for medical checkups and processing.

Europol and officials with the European Union's border agency Frontex are assisting Cypriot authorities. [AP]