No crew found on trawler with 345 Syrian refugees: Cypriot authorities

Cypriot authorities said on Thursday night that no proper crew was found on a trawler from which 345 people fleeing Syria were rescued earlier in the day.

This seems to confirm statements by some of the immigrants who claimed that the skipper of the trawler had abandoned the boat in the middle of the night as they were sleeping.

They also told a cameraman of the state television who was on the rescue vessel, the Salamis Philoxenia cruise ship, that the skipper of the trawler had charged 6,000 dollars for each adult and 3,000 dollars for each of 52 children to take them to Sicily.

Cypriot authorities are investigating whether the skipper had actually abandoned the boat or he mingled with the immigrants to avoid prosecution.

The state television beamed uncut scenes from the rescue operation, which the cameraman described as a feat given the bad weather conditions at the time.

He said the passengers on the trawler were terrified and small children were crying and making gestures asking for help.

Sources at the port of Limassol said the operation of disembarkation sill take several hours as each one of the immigrants has to be registered and medically examined before being taken to a camp where they will be offered accommodation.