Nearly 540 migrants rescued off Crete: Greek coastguard

Coastguard reports passengers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, and Palestine

Nearly 540 migrants crammed on a sailing boat were rescued early Friday south of the island of Crete, the Greek coastguard said.

The 539 would-be asylum seekers were rescued by a patrol vessel of EU border agency Frontex near the small island of Gavdos in the Libyan Sea, a coastguard spokeswoman told AFP.

So far, the coastguard has recorded nationals from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan and the Palestinian territories aboard the boat, the spokeswoman said.

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They will first be taken to the Cretan city of Rethymno, she added. Under standard EU procedure, all will undergo health checks before having their asylum claims processed.

The port they had sailed out from was not immediately clear, the spokeswoman said.

Migrants have been trying to reach Crete from Libya for the last year, as a way of entering the European Union.