Refugee Aid Group: 90 Migrants Rescued Off Greece, Second Boat with Suspected Kurds in Distress Near Italy
90 migrants rescued in Greek waters; a second boat with suspected Kurds is in distress off Italy. The Lutka Foundation reports a significant decrease in illegal migration, citing tighter border security and a rise in returnees.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Summit Foundation for Refugee and Displaced Affairs (Lutka) has announced that while 90 migrants were successfully rescued from a distressed vessel in Greek waters, another boat believed to be carrying a number of Kurds is in distress off the coast of Italy, highlighting the persistent dangers of illegal migration routes even as the foundation reports a significant overall decrease in such journeys.
In a statement to the Kurdistan24 website on Saturday, Ari Jalal, the President of the Summit Foundation, provided details on the recent incidents.
Regarding the situation in Greece, he confirmed that "The 90 migrants whose boat had broken down in Greek waters have all been rescued."
However, he revealed that the process of identifying the individuals is still underway. "So far, the identities of the migrants are unknown and it is not known whether there are any Kurds among them or not," Jalal stated.
The foundation had earlier announced that none of the rescued migrants were Kurds.
According to Ari Jalal, a second and separate incident is currently unfolding in Italian waters.
He reported that another migrant boat, which had departed from Libya and Tunisia, has encountered problems and has broken down. Based on the foundation's information, it is expected that a number of Kurds are among the passengers on this distressed vessel.
Jalal confirmed that representatives of their foundation are actively trying to ascertain the identities of those on board.
The President of the Summit Foundation also used the occasion to comment on broader migration trends, emphasizing that "illegal migration to Europe has decreased by a significant rate."
He attributed this decline to several factors, chief among them being the tightening of security measures on European borders.
Furthermore, he indicated that there is a concurrent trend of migrants returning to the Kurdistan Region. "Many of those citizens who left illegally have returned," Jalal noted.
This observation is supported by official data from the Kurdistan Regional Government. Based on statistics from the Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Interior, between the years 2023 and 2024, more than seven thousand and 950 families and youths have returned to the Kurdistan Region.
