In a statement made by Cyprus police on Monday, February 3, a boat carrying 87 migrants was spotted off the south-eastern coasts of the island.
The press release mentioned that the migrants were Syrians and it was most likely that they came from the Turkish “Mersin”.
As reported by informigrants.net, according to the police, the Syrian migrants were on a worn-out wooden boat, and were found 20 nautical miles (37 km) off the coasts of the island.
Coast guard patrols escorted the migrants to the beach of “Larnaca” (South of Cyprus).
According to official police outlet, the status and data of these migrants, including 16 children and 10 women, will be examined before arranging their transfer to a reception center outside the capital, Nicosia.
Police suspect that the boat left from “Mersin” Turkey, which is the usual route taken by human smugglers while delivering migrants to Cyprus.
Cyprus had previously requested from other EU member states to receive five thousnads of the migrants it is currently hosting, to alleviate the “disproportionate pressures” it faces.
The small union member state indicated that it has become at the forefront of the migration route in the Mediterranean, as it receives the highest percentage of asylum seekers compared to its population.
According to the available data, the number of migrants who arrived in Cyprus and applied for asylum between January and June 2019 amounted to seven thousand, about 26% of whom came from Syria. The number of pending applications is thirteen thousand.
Although it is happening 160 km away from Syrian coasts, Cyprus has not witnessed a massive refugees’ influx compared to Turkey and Greece.
#Cyprus #Syria #Migrants #Refugees #Crisis #HumanSmugglers #EU
English 
العربية