ATHENS, Greece -- A wooden sailboat carrying 49 migrants arrived safely Tuesday at the Greek island of Samos under escort by vessels from the Greek coast guard and European border patrol agency Frontex, the coast guard said.
The boat arrived at the port of Karlovassi on Samos, after being located by the coast guard and Frontex off the northern coast of the island. A search and rescue operation had been launched when a passenger made a distress call to emergency services.
The nationalities of those on board were not immediately available.
The short but often-dangerous crossing from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands has been the preferred route for more than a million refugees and migrants hoping for better lives in the European Union. But an EU deal with Turkey reached in March and Balkan border closures have severely restricted the flow.
Greek authorities said 183 people had arrived on Greek islands from the Turkish coast in the 24 hours from early Monday morning to early Tuesday morning. Last year, thousands were arriving each day.
