site.btaBulgarian Patrol Vessel Rescues 44 Distressed Migrants near Greece's Lesbos Island

The Bulgarian patrol vessel Balchik rescued 44 Afghan migrants who were in distress on the rocky islet of Panayia to the northeast of Greece's Lesbos Island in the Aegean Sea, the Bulgarian Border Police said on Friday.

On the morning of February 7, the Balchik, which is stationed in the Lesbos port of Mytilene between January 2023 and March 2024 for the Frontex-coordinated Operation Poseidon, received information about distressed migrants on Panayia. The crew immediately began a search and rescue operation. They sent two boats to the rock, where they found 19 men, 15 women and 10 children who said they are from Afghanistan.

The people were transported to the Balchik and taken on board the patrol vessel. They had no IDs on them. Later, they were taken off the Bulgarian ship and handed over to the Greek border guard service in Mytilene.