On Friday morning the Greek coast guard picked up a boat carrying some 70 migrants near the southwest of the Peloponnese region of Greece, the AP reports.
The boat ran ashore the uninhabited isle of Sapientza at the southwestern tip of the mainland. At this time there is no further information as to where the boat originated or where the migrants were from, however, it is worth noting that this point of entry into Greece is not commonly used, as most migrants seek entry into the southern-most EU country via the Turkey-Eastern Aegean route to Greek islands such as Lesvos, Samos and Chios.
After the migrants were rescued by the Greek Coast Guard they were transported to the mainland where they will undergo processing at a migrant reception center.
It is uncertain at this time if they will be granted asylum in Greece. To date there are over 57,000 refugees living in Greece in reception centers throughout the country. Many of the camps are already over capacity by some 2,000 people and in the past 48 hours, Greece has seen over 300 new arrivals of migrants.
In related news, on Thursday authorities on the Greek island of Lesvos reported 185 new arrivals of migrants in the past 24 hours, bringing the number of migrants stranded on the island to 4,116 people, according to government reports.
The Greek government has recently announced plans to build more housing for migrants as the influx of new arrivals isn’t expected to end anytime soon.
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