Thirty hundred forty five foreign citizens stranded aboard a small boat off Cyprus have been rescued by a Cypriot cruise ship. The boat had issued a distress signal early on Thursday.
A Defence Ministry press release said that 293 of the citizens rescued are adults and 52 children, adding that the rescue had gone smoothly and completed without injury.
It also noted that cruise ship Salamis Filoxenia is due at Limassol port at 2030 local time (1730 GMT ) where the immigrants will receive medical treatment and taken to a designated reception area outside Nicosia. The rescue effort finished at around 1430 local time (1130 GMT).
Limassol port master Giorgos Pouros said the immigrants were in good health, adding that all competent services are ready to assist them.
Limassol General Hospital Director Chrysostomos Andronikou said that doctors and nurses will be at Limassol port tonight to examine the immigrants and those who need medical treatment will be taken to hospital.
Meanwhile, Justice and Public Order Minister Ionas Nicolaou has expressed satisfaction with the operation carried out to rescue the immigrants.
An extraordinary meeting with the participation of competent authorities and services of the Republic was earlier held at the Interior Ministry to look into the implementation of the plan for the reception and accommodation of the immigrants. A meeting also took place at Limassol port in view of the arrival of “Salamis Filoxenia” cruise ship.
