In the early hours of Tuesday, a Coast Guard patrol vessel on a scheduled patrol spotted a speedboat carrying foreign passengers near Skafi Beach in Tilos. The patrol crew used light and sound signals to force the speedboat to stop, but the effort was unsuccessful.

A chase ensued, during which the speedboat’s operator ran the vessel aground on the beach and disembarked the migrants. Following land patrols, 31 individuals (20 men, 4 women, and 7 minors) were located in good health, along with the vessel used to transport them.

The Tilos Coast Guard Station, which is conducting the preliminary investigation, arrested a 37-year-old foreign national (a Moldovan citizen) who was identified by the rescued migrants as the operator of the speedboat.