81 immigrants picked up on Greek island after sea crossing

Eighty-one immigrants were picked up on the Greek island of Chios after crossing from Turkey, dpa quoted the coast guard as saying Saturday. The migrants, most of whom were from Syria and Afghanistan, travelled in three groups aboard rubber boats the 8 nautical miles (about 15 kilometres) from Turkey, it said. Several of the immigrants had to be rescued by helicopter from a steep section of the coast of the Aegean island. They were found late Friday and Saturday and all were well, it said. Authorities also reported the Friday rescue of a further 40 people on the island of Samos, which lies further to the south. The route from Turkey to the Greek islands in the eastern Aegean Sea is one of the most used for smugglers. In the first half of this year, nearly 20,000 migrants were picked up, according to the government.