ATHENS (Reuters) - The Greek islands of Crete and Gavdos have seen a steep rise in migrant boats landing on their shores from Libya this year, U.N. data shows, piling pressure on ill-equipped authorities and raising fears of a new smuggling route in the Mediterranean Sea. Crete and its tiny neighbour Gavdos, which are relatively isolated in the central Mediterranean, had until now not been favoured by migrants over other islands further east near Turkey. Gavdos Mayor Lilian Stefanaki told Reuters that since the weekend boats carrying dozens of people had been arriving almost daily. Neither Gavdos nor Crete have migrant facilities. Historically, boats that leave Libya in north Africa generally have gone to Italy.

Source: Libya Today March 13, 2024 14:49 UTC