Cyprus has assisted in the rescue of a boat with more than 300 migrants onboard that was floating west of the island nation, a Cypriot official said Tuesday.
Cyprus Joint Rescue Coordination Center Commander Andreas Charalambides told local media that the captain of the boat sent out a distress call Monday afternoon after experiencing engine trouble.
A helicopter and three police vessels were dispatched to offer assistance to the boat, which had departed from Lebanon three days earlier and was trying to reach Italy with women and children aboard, according to Charalambides.
Authorities couldn’t immediately determine the nationality of the migrants onboard but there was no indication that any had experienced any health issues, Charalambides said.
Related:
Syrian Boats Are Reportedly Smuggling People From North Lebanon.
Six Syrians Died On A Smuggling Boat That Reportedly Sailed From Lebanon.
