Baris, the 77-meter Kiribati-flagged cargo that had been stranded 30 nautical miles off the coast of Crete since dawn on Monday due to engine failure has beeb towed by the Greek Navy frigate Hydra to safety at the port of Ierapetra in southern Crete. It was a difficult rescue operation due to the high winds. The 700 men, women and children on board are now on land, with most of them fleeing from wartorn Syria. 500 of the 700 people are women, children and elderly and a number of the people camouflaged as immigrants are considered suspicious and are believed to be human traffickers.

The rescue mission had begun at 8 a.m. this morning. Authorities had managed to give water and food to the people on board and there are no reports of severe health problems faced by the people, though a pregnant woman was towed by a super puma to an island hospital where she gave birth. Meetings between local authorities and hospital staff are on alert, especially for contagious viruses such as ebola. Those rescued are undergoing medical exams. Due to the nature of the case, Public Order General Secretary Serapheim Tsokas is on the island.

Greek Navy Frigate Hydra is towing Baris to safety

Ierapetra local authorities and volunteer groups, such as the Red Cross, had prepared two indoor sports stadiums to provide temporary shelter for the migrants that had been trying to enter Europe illegally. On Wednesday, volunteers scrambled to collect food, blankets, mattresses and other basic necessities.

“We’re doing everything we can to help these poor people, but we can only host them for a few days,” said Ierapetra Mayor Theodosios Kalantzakis, who urged the state to step in with proper reception facilities.

The vessel is registered in the Pacific island nation of Kiribati but it is managed by a Turkish company. Sources state that the journey had started from Turkey.

The Greek branch of Doctors Without Borders says that 80% of immigrants arriving to Greece by sea are Syrians fleeing from war. Amnesty International data states that over 2,500 people have drowned or gone missing since the start of 2014 with only 1.7% of the estijmated 150,000 making it across the hazardous sea journey.

EU regulations stipulate that refugees seeking asylum must register and stay in the first EU country they arrive at. This has strained the resources of cash-strapped Greece.

Photos that had been taken from the super puma: