The Cypriot authorities rescued early this morning about 100 people, including women and children, who were in distress in a small boat off Cyprus` south east coast.
“On September 5th at 2025 hours, the Joint Rescue and Coordination Centre (JRCC) Larnaca received information from a merchant vessel that a small boat, which was sailing around 40 Nautical Miles south-east of Larnaka with approximately 100 people (54 women and children) onboard, required recovery and rescue by transmitting distress signals,” a press release issued by the JRCC early this morning said.
The ship had departed from Syria with non – combatant refugees onboard.
The JRCC Larnaca immediately planned and coordinated a Mass Rescue Operation (MRO) according to the National SAR plan «NEARCHOS» in order to save the refugees with the participation of air and naval units of the Navy Command and the Cyprus Port and Police.
At the same time, the Ministry of Interior, as the responsible authority for the implementation of the National Plan «ΝΑFKRATIS», was informed accordingly and all the relevant departments of the State were informed for the reception, medical care and hospitality of the persons in distress, in accordance with the new European directives, it added.
The Search and Rescue Operation was concluded at 06:00 local time (03.00 GMT) with the disembarked at Larnaka Port, among them 30 children and 5 infants.