Syrian refugees reach Cyprus despite poor weather

A total of 31 Syrian refugees managed to reach Cyprus on Tuesday early morning, despite very cold weather and poor conditions at sea.

Police said a Syrian family with two children, a 5-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl, reached the northern shores of Cyprus along with 27 other undocumented migrants.

Civil Defence officials were not immediately available to provide more details, but according to Cyprus News Agency (CNA) all other refugees besides the family were described as undocumented males and presumptive asylum seekers.

The boat is believed to have left the Turkish coast according to CNA, an apparent shift from recent arrivals that came from Lebanon.

Ten days ago, a single survivor was picked up by an American ship after his boat capsized northeast of Cape Greco, while seven other fellow travelers from Syria were presumed dead.

The...