1st LD Writethru: Greek Coast Guard says refugee vessel not in danger

A 25-meter wooden vessel carrying refugees and migrants which had issued a distress call earlier on Monday in Libya's waters southeast of Crete island was not in danger, Greek Coast Guard officers said.

The some 200 people on board said they wanted to continue sailing towards Italy, according to Greek officials who had coordinated a rescue operation once they were notified on the emergency signal by a Greek tanker sailing nearby.

A Panama-flagged freighter which also rushed to the area before Greek Coast Guard patrol vessels reach the site told Greek authorities that there seemed to be no major problem with the ship, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.

According to the same report, refugees said they wanted to continue their journey to Italy.

Ten days ago Greek Coast Guard had participated in another major rescue operation for a boat carrying hundreds of refugees that sank in Egypt's waters south of Crete.

After the closure of the Balkan route to central Europe in February and the start of returns to Turkey from the Greek islands in spring, smugglers have shifted their operations from the Turkish coasts to the northern African ports and emergencies have increased in the southern Mediterranean Sea. Endit