ATHENS, Greece (AP) — More than 230 migrants who crossed the Mediterranean from North Africa in small boats reached the southern island of Crete this weekend, Greek authorities said Monday.
The number of arrivals, via six separate crossings, far outnumbered the several dozen migrants who took the more usual route from Turkey to nearby eastern Aegean islands this weekend.
Crete has emerged this year as a major destination for migrants willing to risk the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean from Libya. The Greek government is considering setting up state-funded migrant processing centers on the island with around 625,000 residents to help local authorities.
The crossing from Libya takes at least two days, while a fast smuggling boat from Turkey can reach the eastern islands in less than an hour – provided it can avoid frequent coastguard patrols.
Greek authorities say they are bracing for a possible increase in the number of refugees fleeing fighting in Lebanon and Gaza.
Officials said the migrants who reached Crete this weekend were mainly from Egypt, Sudan or Bangladesh.
The Greek coast guard said the largest arrival involved 55 people who were picked up by a merchant ship on Saturday evening after their boat ran into trouble south of Crete.
In all cases, the migrants who reached Crete said they had left the eastern Libyan port of Tobruk and paid smuggling gangs up to 9,000 euros ($9,800) each for their passage. A dozen people on the boats were arrested on suspicion of membership of smuggling gangs.
About a hundred more migrants reached Crete on Friday.
Greece is an important entry point for people from the Middle East, Africa and Asia looking for a better life in the European Union. So far, the vast majority have been crossed from Turkey with small boats.
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