Greek coastguards said on Sunday (October 2nd) that migrants on board a boat in distress in the Ionian Sea had refused to be rescued for fear of being illegally returned.
Coastguards said the group of 56 asylum seekers were on board a boat that ran into trouble on Saturday amid strong winds near the island of Kefalonia.
“
Throughout the day, the migrants claimed over the radio that they would not accept any help from nearby boats or from the Greek authorities,
” the coast guard said in a statement.
It was only after dark, and because the weather conditions were getting worse, that the migrants agreed to be rescued by a Singaporean-flagged tanker, they added.
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The Greek Coast Guard said it had rescued some 1,500 people since the start of the year in Greek waters.
But human rights groups have calculated that hundreds more have been unlawfully turned away without being allowed to apply for asylum.
Greece denies this claim.
The migrants were sheltered at the port of Igoumenitsa and searches for other asylum seekers were still ongoing.
Their nationality was not immediately disclosed.
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