Greece Rescues 539 Migrants from Distress

Greek coastguard authorities have rescued 539 migrants from a fishing vessel off the southern island of Gavdos, with Bangladeshis accounting for the overwhelming majority. Local coastguard officials (Limenarkio) confirmed that 437 of those rescued are Bangladeshi nationals.

The vessel was spotted in distress in the early hours of Friday, 19 December, in the sea south of Agia Galini. All passengers were safely evacuated and transported to the Kitrenosi building in Rethymno, where the Hellenic Coastguard conducted registration and identity verification procedures.

According to officials, the rescued group includes four women and two children, while the remainder are predominantly adult men. Rethymno Coastguard Chief Kyriakos Pattakos emphasised that the immediate priority is to identify and apprehend the human trafficking networks behind the journey, as well as to organise the safe relocation of the migrants to appropriate facilities.

Local authorities, however, are facing logistical challenges. Yorgos Skordilis, Deputy Mayor for Civil Protection of Rethymno, noted that the municipality lacks sufficient infrastructure to accommodate such a large number of migrants at once. Due to limited coordination with the central government, local officials are under considerable pressure. It has been decided that 300 migrants will be relocated elsewhere on Monday, with the remainder moved over the following week.

The nationalities of the rescued migrants are as follows:

It is believed that the migrants were transported from eastern Libya, likely with the assistance of human traffickers, and endured a perilous 36-hour sea journey before reaching Greek waters.

As yet, the Embassy of Bangladesh in Greece has not issued an official statement regarding the rescue or the welfare of its nationals. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely, coordinating efforts to ensure the migrants receive adequate support and protection while investigations into the trafficking operation proceed.