Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 14-04-10

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Migrants rescued off Crete number 345, including 47 children

[01] Migrants rescued off Crete number 345, including 47 children

Authorities registering the migrants said there were 345 in total, including 47 children and 2 babies, while most of them said they came from Syria or Egypt. According to Chania port cief Diogenis Darivianakis, the traffickers are believed to be among the migrants but have not been identified yet.

The undocumented migrants were initially taken on board the tanker "Olympic Faith" that arrived early on Tuesday in the sea region of Paleohora. However, due to the large size of the vessel it was impossible to dock in Paleohora port and the authorities decided to use three fishing boats and a Coast Guard vessel for their disembarkment. After the completion of the rescue operation, the undocumented migrants were transferred by bus to Hania in order to be indentified.

All migrants were given food and water. Many were examined by doctors, with ten being taken to hospital with sprains and wounds on their legs, while another three migrants had been transferred to hospital immediately after their landing. Two of the children were also taken to hospital for preventative reasons.

The facilities include mattresses, chemical toilets and heaters, while efforts are made to transfer all of them to hotels as soon as possible, the deputy Chania district chief Apostolos Voulgarakis said. The facilities will be guarded round the clock by Greek Police and Port Authority staff, while only authorised personnel will be allowed entry.

Local authorities met in the morning to decide what to do further and to ensure needed food and supplies are provided for as long as the migrants remain in Chania.

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