Migrant boat reaches mainland east of Athens

Two alleged migrant smugglers were arrested off the northern Cyclades island of Kea on Friday after previously – and brazenly – landing roughly 60 foreign nationals at a well-known resort bay due east of the greater Athens area, meaning the vessel crossed the Aegean undetected.

Greece’s coast guard later posted video on social media showing the approach of a high-speed inflatable craft at Porto Rafti Bay, purportedly the migrant boat used.

The irregular migrants reportedly landed on the beach and then scattered throughout the region. No information was given by authorities on the nationalities, ages and gender of the would-be migrants. Police were scouring the area to detain the foreign nationals, reports stated.

No less than six coast guard vessels and even a helicopter chased the high-speed craft until it was finally stopped near Kea. No information was given regarding the suspects.

Earlier, 18 people were rescued when another migrant boat sank southeast of Agathonisi, a tiny populated Greek isle in the eastern Aegean located roughly 20 kilometers off the Turkish coast, from where the craft, by all accounts, set off. A moderate breeze of 4 on the Beaufort scale was recorded at the time of the incident.

The group of irregular migrants were taken to the nearby island of Samos