LISBON, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese maritime police rescued 25 migrants including 13 children, five women and seven men Tuesday night on the Greek island of Lesbos, according to Portuguese Lusa News Agency on Wednesday.
Police said that the boat with the migrants, all Afghan nationality, were detected by the Coast Guard Surveillance Team of the Portuguese maritime police at 9:10 pm local time on Tuesday, which passed the coordinates for the crew on board of the vessel "TEJO", which later made the interception of the boat.
The boat was then towed by the maritime police vessel to the port of Skala Skamineas, where the migrants were safely disembarked and handed over to the Greek authorities.
The Portuguese maritime police conduct part of the Poseidon operation, under the auspices of the European agency FRONTEX and in support of the Greek Coast Guard, in order to control and monitor the Greek and external maritime borders of the European Union.
The operation aims to combat cross-border crime, within the framework of the European Coast Guard functions.
