Illegal migrants that landed on Gavdos transported to Athens

Roughly 100 migrants that "landed" on the small island of Gavdos, south of Crete, last week will be transported by ferry boat to Athens from Crete and then simply ? released to go where-ever they please, according to authorities.

The illegal migrants, which hail from Sudan, Somalia, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Eritrea, include 40 unaccompanied minors. They were issued temporary travel documents on Sunday while on Crete, which if similar to previous such paperwork, means they must exit Greece in a specific period of time.

Usually, however, third country nationals that enter the country clandestinely ignore the order and remain illegally, often waiting for a chance to be smuggled into a west European destination from Greece.

Conversely, six Egyptian nationals charged with smuggling the group onto Greek territory were led before a Hania, Crete prosecutor on Sunday. They will face a magistrate on Tuesday on charges of illegal transporting migrants into the country.