The Greek coastguard rescued nearly 550 migrants, including dozens of minors, within 48 hours during several operations in the sea south of Crete and the offshore island of Gavdos, officials said on Wednesday.
Sources in the agency said numerous boats were currently heading from Libya towards Crete.
The largest operation took place on Tuesday south of Crete. A total of 192 people, including 42 minors, were rescued from a fishing boat and brought ashore. The rescued migrants said they set off from the Libyan coast and each paid around $3,000 to smugglers for the crossing.
The roughly 300-kilometre route from Libya to Crete is increasingly being used by smuggling gangs. Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris said only a few days ago that more than half a million people are currently waiting in Libya for an opportunity to travel on to Europe.
Meanwhile, the Greek parliament ratified the EU's new migration and asylum rules on Tuesday evening, the parliament's presidium in Athens said. The law is to take effect on Friday and provides, among other things, for reception centres in non-EU countries. Greece is in talks with two African states, Plevris told the semi-official news agency ANA-MPA.
