ATHENS, Sept 28 (AFP) - A fishing boat packed with dozens of illegal immigrants from Egypt became the latest in a flood of vessels to enter Greece illegally when it ran aground in the west of the country Tuesday.
Greek coastguards arrested 45 Egyptians, all male adults, the country's merchant marine ministry said, bringing the total number of would-be migrants caught in four separate incidents within the last 24 hours to an unusually high 160.
The increased landings come after Greece eased the extensive navy patrols it carried out throughout the summer months as part of security measures for the August Athens Olympics.
The latest migrants were arrested on the western Greek island of Sfaktiria after their iron trawler got stuck in shallow waters at the shoreline. They were all in good health. Their boat had been under observation since Sunday, when NATO's southern European command alerted Greek authorities to its existence in international waters.
Another 31 immigrants of yet unidentified origin who had embarked from Turkey in small plastic and wooden boats were caught in two separate incidents near the eastern Greek islands of Chios and Samos, the ministry said Tuesday.
On Monday, another Egyptian ship carrying at least 84 illegal immigrants from the same country deliberately ran aground at Europe's southernmost tip at the Greek island of Crete. All its male, adult passengers, initially believed to be from Palestine, were arrested in good health.
Many illegal would-be migrants deliberately sink their boats and ships for fear that Greek authorities might prevent them from reaching the shore.
Greek seas are a regular transit route for illegal immigrants from Asia seeking to enter western Europe. Dozens of would-be migrants have drowned there in recent years.
According to official government figures Greek coastguards arrested 2.439 illegal would-be migrants and 74 people smugglers in 208 separate incidents in 2003. In the current year to June, 1,055 immigrants have been arrested in 92 incidents.