PAPHOS, Greek Cypriot Administration
Nearly 350 people, believed to be refugees from Syria, have reportedly refused to disembark from a cruise liner which rescued them near southwest Cyprus, insisting they want to be taken to Italy.
The refugees, 293 adults and 52 children, were picked up by the vessel Salamis Filoxenia near Paphos after they sent a distress signal, Giorgos Pouros, a harbor master at the coastal city of Limassol, told the Cyprus Mail on Friday.
Kikis Vassiliou, the managing director of Salamis Cruise Lines which rescued the refugees, told the AFP news agency that people in the ship had wanted to negotiate with their rescuers as to their plight.
"They want us to send them to Italy," he said.
Only 65 refugees willingly disembarked from the ship and were taken to the Kokkinotrimithia camp, AFP reported.
Thousands of migrants reach Europe across the Mediterranean Sea each year in an effort to flee violence-torn areas in the Middle East and North Africa.
Hundreds of migrants die annually, often as a result of their vessels being inadequate for the voyage.
www.aa.com.tr/en
