ATHENS, 20th December, 2025 (WAM) -- Greece's Coast Guard rescued about 540 migrants from a fishing boat off Europe's southernmost island of Gavdos, one of the biggest groups to reach the country in recent months, Reuters reported.
They are all well and are being taken to a temporary facility on the nearby island of Crete after reaching the port of Agia Galini, a Coast Guard official said.
The migrants were found during a Greek search operation some 16 nautical miles (29.6 km) off Gavdos, a Coast Guard statement said.
Flows have ebbed since then, but both Crete and Gavdos - the two Mediterranean islands nearest to the African coast - have seen a steep rise in migrant boats, mainly from Libya, reaching their shores over the past year, and deadly accidents remain common along that route.
