THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) – Greek authorities said they rescued 145 migrants stranded on an island in the river that runs along the northeastern land border with Turkey on Thursday.
Police said the 70 men, 45 women and 30 children were all in good health and identified as Syrians or Kurds. The Greek authorities launched the rescue operation after being alerted to the presence of the migrants by an NGO.
The Evros River – Meric in Turkish – is an important crossing point for migrants passing through Turkey to seek a better life in the European Union.
It is quite common for gangs of smugglers to dump migrants on islands in the middle of the river and flee to avoid arrest by Greek authorities. Uncertainty about the exact location and ownership of the islands can cause evacuation delays.
Thousands of people are also trying to enter Greece by sea. On June 14, a wrecked fishing trawler with up to 750 people on board sank far off southwest Greece, with only 104 people surviving.
The ship had left Libya for Italy and the Greek Coast Guard was widely criticized for failing to rescue the migrants before their ship capsized and sank.
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