NICOSIA: A major search involving naval helicopters and police boats was underway on Monday for the passengers of a migrant boat that capsized off the coast of Cyprus, officials said.
Cypriot media reported that the authorities had recovered seven bodies and two survivors from among the estimated 20 Syrians who were on board.
A large-scale search and rescue operation was launched in open waters by the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) in Larnaca.
In an official statement, it said a search and rescue operation was “ongoing to locate missing persons after a migrant boat capsized 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) southeast of Cape Greco,” referring to the southeasternmost point of the Mediterranean island.
It said the incident occurred within the country’s area of search and rescue responsibility but outside its territorial waters.
The authorities had yet to confirm the recovery of any bodies and when contacted by AFP, the JRCC only referred to the statement, saying the operation was ongoing.
Police also referred inquiries to the JRCC who are coordinating the rescue.
Several naval helicopters and police patrol boats were involved in the search for survivors, the center said.
According to the Cyprus News Agency, one survivor told authorities that the roughly 20 passengers on board were Syrians who had departed from the port of Tartus in Syria.
The Philenews website reported that seven bodies were recovered and two survivors rescued.
In the past, Cyprus had seen a four-fold spike in irregular arrivals by boat, almost all of them Syrians.
The eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus is less than 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the Syrian and Lebanese coasts and has long been a route for refugees seeking a better life in Europe.
Nicosia has said it has the highest number of new asylum seeker applicants in the European Union per capita but has managed to significantly reduce the figure.
Last month, the interior ministry said asylum applications dropped 69 percent between 2022 and 2024, while irregular maritime arrivals had stopped since May 2024 due to tougher government policies.
The overthrow of President Bashar Assad in December has prompted some Syrians to return home, with the government reporting that an average of 40 Syrians per day have requested to return home since then.
The government also said that more assylum seekers were leaving Cyprus than arriving for the first time in its independent history.
Major search underway off Cyprus after migrant boat capsizes
https://arab.news/4mku8
Major search underway off Cyprus after migrant boat capsizes
- Cypriot media reported that the authorities had recovered seven bodies and two survivors from among the estimated 20 Syrians who were on board
ICE agents to help with security at Winter Olympics
ROME: Agents from the divisive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will help support US security operations for the Winter Olympic Games in Italy next month, a spokesperson told AFP.
“At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations,” the agency said in a statement.
“All security operations remain under Italian authority.”
It added: “Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries.”
The potential presence of ICE agents at the February 6-22 Games has sparked huge debate in Italy, following the outcry over the deaths of two civilians during an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
Italian authorities initially denied the presence of ICE and then sought to downplay any role, suggesting they would help only in security for the US delegation.
US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are attending the opening ceremony in Milan on February 6.
On Monday, the president of the northern Lombardy region, which is hosting some of the Olympic events, said their involvement would be limited to monitoring Vance and Rubio.
“It will be only in a defensive role, but I am convinced that nothing will happen,” Attilio Fontana told reporters.
However, his office then issued a statement saying he did not have any information on their presence, but was responding to a hypothetical question.
Thousands of ICE agents have been deployed by President Donald Trump in various US cities to carry out a crackdown on illegal immigration.
Their actions have prompted widespread protests, and the recent killings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37, on the streets of Minneapolis sparked outrage.
