Greek authorities rescue 100 migrants found in vessel off southern mainland

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities on Monday rescued 100 migrants found on a smuggling vessel in distress off the country’s southern mainland, officials said.

The coast guard said the migrants were taken off their vessel by a tugboat that had been ordered to the area and safely carried them to the southeastern village of Monemvasia. No injuries were reported.

The smuggling vessel was located off Cape Maleas, at the southeastern tip of the Peloponnese region, the coast guard said.

No further detail was immediately known on the nationalities of the migrants, the type of vessel they were on or where they had sailed from.

The area where the incident occurred is on a route used by smugglers to send migrants in overcrowded sailing yachts from Turkey to Italy, skirting southern Greece and avoiding the heavily patrolled waters off the eastern Aegean Sea islands.

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