Pakistanis among nearly 540 migrants rescued off Crete

ATHENS: Nearly 540 migrants crammed on a sailing boat were rescued early Friday south of the island of Crete, the Greek coastguard said.

The 539 would-be asylum seekers were rescued by a patrol vessel of EU border agency Frontex near the small island of Gavdos in the Libyan Sea, a coastguard spokeswoman told AFP.

So far, the coastguard has recorded nationals from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan and the Palestinian territories aboard the boat, the spokeswoman said.