136 migrants arrive by boat (updated)

Police on Tuesday said 136 migrants arrived to Cyprus by boat on New Year’s Day, while the man suspected of being the boat’s operator has been arrested and remanded for eight days.

Members of the coast guard detected a boat in the Cape Greco area around 2pm on New Year’s Day.

Police vessels sped to the scene and escorted the boat with 136 migrants on board to the safety of the Paralimni “Golden Coast” fishing shelter. The passengers appear to have set off from Lebanon.

There were 79 men, 10 women, 26 children and 21 unaccompanied minors on board the vessel, who were subsequently transferred to the Pournara temporary accommodation centre.

Police also arrested a 25-year-old man, allegedly the boat’s navigator. He appeared in Famagusta District Court later in the day and was issued with an eight-day remand.