One-hundred-and-thirty-six migrants arrived on the island by boat on New Year’s Day and police have arrested the man suspected of being the boat’s operator, it was reported on Tuesday.
According to the police, members of the coast guard detected a boat in the Cape Greco area around 2pm on New Year’s Day.
Police vessels sped to the scene and escorted the boat with 136 migrants on board to the safety of the Paralimni “Golden Coast” fishing shelter. The passengers appear to have set off from Lebanon.
There were 79 men, 10 women, 26 children and 21 unaccompanied minors on board the vessel, who were subsequently transferred to the Pournara temporary accommodation centre.
Police also arrested a 25-year-old man, allegedly the boat’s navigator, who is expected to be brought before the Famagusta district court on Tuesday.