ATHENS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Greek authorities rescued 81 people in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported on Friday. No missing or casualties were reported.
The French-flagged freighter vessel, was stranded in an area some 120 nautical miles from Greece's coasts.
The 81 people, who were on board the ship, were transferred to Kalamata port city of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece.
An Italy-bound overloaded vessel sank last summer in international waters off the Peloponnese peninsula in a similar case. Greece's Coast Guard rescued 104 people and recovered 82 bodies.
Since the start of the refugee migration crisis in 2015, more than a million people have reached Greece, most of whom continued the journey to other European countries.
The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament on Wednesday reached a provisional agreement that is expected to thoroughly reform the bloc's asylum and migration policy, breaking years of deadlock on the issue. ■
