ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A boat trying to smuggle 447 Iraqi Kurds to Italy ran aground
on an island near Athens in rough seas on Sunday after being pursued by the Greek coast
guard, authorities said.

The fishing boat, which departed from Turkey, grounded on the southern tip of the island of
Evia, 57 miles east of Athens.

About 50 of the would-be illegal immigrants were being taken to a hospital for observation,
while the rest were heading to sports and municipal facilities on the island, where they would
be held, police said. Among the passengers of the Medine were 39 women and 40 children.

Three Turkish crew members were arrested, police and the merchant marine said. The
suspects were identified as Girit Zekeriya, 51, Cansin Barut, 25, and Aras Ahmed, 44, all of
Istanbul.

The vessel had been spotted by the coast guard and pursued before it ran aground near the
resort town of Karystos.

"The Medine was in danger of being swept into a rocky cove, which would have put their
lives at risk," a statement from the merchant marine said.

Authorities said the Iraqi Kurds had paid $2,500 each to travel from the Turkish port of
Canakkale to Italy.

Tens of thousands of people from the Middle East, Asia and eastern Europe sneak into
Greece each year, despite efforts to bolster the coast guard and border patrols. Greece is
often used as a transit point for reaching other European Union countries.
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The Kurdistan Observer
www.kurdistanobserver.com