Greek authorities carried out a major rescue operation early on Friday morning, after a vessel carrying 545 migrants sent out a distress signal off the coast of Gavdos islant, south of Crete.
Greece rescues 545 migrants off Crete after distress call
An officer from the European Union’s border protection agency, Frontex, leads a migrant on board a ferry in the port of Mytilini, Lesbos island , Greece, on Friday, April 2016
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AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris
The Hellenic Coast Guard responded immediately, deploying three patrol boats, supported by three Frontex vessels and three nearby commercial ships.
All passengers, mostly men from Bangladesh, Egypt and Pakistan, were safely brought ashore on Crete.
The migrants were transferred from the port of Agia Galini to a temporary facility in the Latzimas area, in Rerthymnon, where they will stay overnight.
Local authorities are preparing the space with mattresses and blankets, while expressing concerns about its suitability for even short-term accommodation. Earlier, another rescue took place south of Gavdos, where 32 migrants were saved from a small boat and transported safely to Paleochora.