Latest news with #GreekCoastGuard
Libya Observer
29-05-2025
- Libya Observer
Greek Coast Guard rescues over 500 migrants from Libya
The Greek Coast Guard has announced the rescue of more than 500 migrants in recent days, most of whom were men, off the coast of the island of Crete. According to authorities, the majority of the migrants had departed from the Libyan city of Tobruk, paying between €2,600 and €3,500 for the journey to Greece. The rescued individuals were primarily of Sudanese, Egyptian, and Bangladeshi nationality, officials confirmed. News Tagged: illegal immigrants
Libya Review
24-05-2025
- Libya Review
4 Migrant Boats in Distress After Leaving Libya's Tobruk
On Saturday, the Libyan Rescue Coordination Center raised serious concerns over the fate of several migrant boats that departed from the eastern city of Tobruk in recent days, heading toward the Greek island of Crete. In a statement, the center confirmed that it had received four separate distress calls from boats currently in what it described as a 'very critical condition.' One of the boats, carrying approximately 50 people, reportedly experienced engine failure and began taking on water. The center warned that without immediate rescue, the vessel could sink. The exact number of people aboard the other three boats remains unclear, but all four are believed to be carrying migrants attempting to cross the central Mediterranean. In addition to the four distress cases, the center is monitoring a fifth vessel detected on radar, which has not issued a mayday call but appears to be following the same migration route. Its status remains unknown, but its movement and location have raised concerns, prompting continued surveillance. The Libyan rescue authority expressed frustration at what it sees as a delayed or absent response from the Greek Coast Guard, despite the serious and life-threatening nature of the emergencies. It urged Greek authorities and international partners to intervene swiftly to prevent loss of life. This latest incident adds to growing concerns over the deteriorating conditions for migrants attempting to reach Europe from Libya's eastern shores. The port city of Tobruk has become a departure point for many irregular crossings in recent months, often involving overloaded wooden boats with poor navigation systems and no safety infrastructure. The Libyan center called for immediate international coordination, including involvement from Greek maritime authorities, European rescue missions, and humanitarian organizations, to avert a potential disaster in the Mediterranean.
Libya Review
24-05-2025
- Libya Review
Four Migrant Boats in Distress After Leaving Libya's Tobruk
On Saturday, the Libyan Rescue Coordination Center raised serious concerns over the fate of several migrant boats that departed from the eastern city of Tobruk in recent days, heading toward the Greek island of Crete. In a statement, the center confirmed that it had received four separate distress calls from boats currently in what it described as a 'very critical condition.' One of the boats, carrying approximately 50 people, reportedly experienced engine failure and began taking on water. The center warned that without immediate rescue, the vessel could sink. The exact number of people aboard the other three boats remains unclear, but all four are believed to be carrying migrants attempting to cross the central Mediterranean. In addition to the four distress cases, the center is monitoring a fifth vessel detected on radar, which has not issued a mayday call but appears to be following the same migration route. Its status remains unknown, but its movement and location have raised concerns, prompting continued surveillance. The Libyan rescue authority expressed frustration at what it sees as a delayed or absent response from the Greek Coast Guard, despite the serious and life-threatening nature of the emergencies. It urged Greek authorities and international partners to intervene swiftly to prevent loss of life. This latest incident adds to growing concerns over the deteriorating conditions for migrants attempting to reach Europe from Libya's eastern shores. The port city of Tobruk has become a departure point for many irregular crossings in recent months, often involving overloaded wooden boats with poor navigation systems and no safety infrastructure. The Libyan center called for immediate international coordination, including involvement from Greek maritime authorities, European rescue missions, and humanitarian organizations, to avert a potential disaster in the Mediterranean.
Free Malaysia Today
23-05-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Greek court charges 17 coast guard officers over 2023 migrant shipwreck
The overloaded migrant boat had left Libya for Italy with about 750 people on board. Only 104 of them are known to have survived. (AP pic). ATHENS : A Greek naval court has charged 17 coast guard officers over one of the Mediterranean's worst shipwrecks two years ago, in which hundreds of people are believed to have drowned, three sources said today. The shipwreck of an overloaded migrant boat in international waters off the southwestern Greek town of Pylos on June 14, 2023, sent shockwaves across Europe and beyond. The naval court is still investigating the circumstances around the incident. A coast guard vessel had been monitoring the boat, named Adriana, for 15 hours before it capsized and sank. It had left Libya for Italy with about 750 people on board. Only 104 of them are known to have survived. Greek coast guard authorities have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing over the handling of the case. Three legal sources said the 17 coast guard officers would be summoned by a judge to respond to accusations ranging from obstructing transport to causing or helping cause a shipwreck. Contacted by Reuters, a Greek coast guard official said the service had not been officially informed about the charges and had asked to be briefed by the naval court. Greece's judicial system has several preparatory stages and the compilation of charges does not necessarily mean that an individual will face trial. Human rights activists and other protesters plan rallies across Greece on June 21 to mark the second anniversary of the Pylos shipwreck. In February, the Greek Ombudsman recommended disciplinary action against eight coast guard officers, the first national probe into the incident to conclude. Greece says that the coast guard operates with respect to human rights and that it has rescued more than 250,000 people since 2015, when the country was at the frontline of Europe's migration crisis.
Express Tribune
14-04-2025
- General
- Express Tribune
41 migrants found dead on Greek island, says coast guard
A Greek Coast Guard ship takes part in a search and rescue operation following a shipwreck off the island of Samos, Greece in November 2024. PHOTO: REUTERS Listen to article The Greek coast guard said it had found the bodies of two women and 39 other migrants on the tiny island of Farmakonisi in the Aegean Sea on Monday, and that an investigation was underway to determine what had occurred. The circumstances of the deaths were unclear, they said. Greek authorities were informed that the migrants had reached the island earlier today, just 9.7 kilometres off the Turkish coast, coast guard officials said, adding they were still searching for other survivors of a potential shipwreck. Those rescued were transferred to the island of Leros nearby. Greece, in the southeast corner of the European Union, has long been a favoured gateway to Europe for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The coast guard has rescued over 250,000 people since 2015, when Greece was at the frontline of Europe's migration crisis and nearly one million people landed on its islands, including Farmakonisi, from Turkiye. Thousands have died at sea, according to the UN refugee agency. This month, at least seven migrants drowned, including one boy, one girl and two women, when their boat sank off the island of Lesbos.
