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Portuguese maritime boat saves 39 migrants, refugees on journey to Greece

Xinhua, July 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

A Portuguese maritime boat rescued 39 migrants and refugees on board a boat in the middle of the Aegean Sea, the National Maritime Authority said on Wednesday.

The migrants and refugees on the boat, of which eight were children, were on their way to Greece, according to the statement.

The rescue team from Portugal realized their boat was punctured and was going to sink and consequently saved the nerve-wracked passengers.

They were then transported to the Greek island of Lesbos, where they arrived safely, though one woman had to be administered oxygen due to the tiresome journey.

The Portuguese maritime police, composed of a team of 13, has been in the Aegean sea since Oct. 1 last year, amid an operation named "Poseidon Sea 2015" carried out by EU border agency Frontex.

The aim of the operation is to cooperate on the control and vigilance of the borders of the Greek maritime borders and to combat cross border crime.

According to the national maritime authority the Portuguese team has already rescued 3,277 refugees and migrants, 843 of whom were babies and children.

The team will be on the Greek border until Sept. 30, 2016.

Tens of thousands of refugees risk their lives every month by crossing the Aegean sea, escaping warfare and repression. Endit