Republished March 16, 2020 - 12:50 AM
Original Publication Date March 15, 2020 - 2:01 AM
ATHENS, Greece - A tanker carrying around 190 migrants run aground in rough weather just outside the port on the Cycladic island of Kea, near the Greek capital, the coast guard said Monday.
The tanker hit the outside of the breakwater at the port in the early hours of the morning, in gale-force winds and rough seas. All passengers managed to disembark of their own accord, and were being temporarily housed by the municipality in a local hotel, the coast guard said.
Further details on the tanker weren't available. It was unclear where the ship had sailed from and what its intended destination was.
While thousands of migrants head to eastern Aegean Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast, they generally use inflatable dinghies. Kea, the Cycladic island nearest the Greek capital, is far from the Turkish coast. It is rare, though not unprecedented, for migrant smugglers to use cargo ships or tankers to ferry migrants to Greece.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020