Zagreb - Croatia's coast guard came to the rescue of 65 illegal immigrants headed to Italy after their ship broke down in the south of the Adriatic sea, authorities said on Monday.
Food and medicine were distributed to the Somalian, Egyptian, Syrian and Afghani immigrants who were on a motorised sail boat bound for Italy from Greece, the defence ministry said in a statement.
The Croatian authorities had yet to decide whether to haul the vessel - which was in international waters, south of the Croatian island of Mljet - towards the coast.
“The coastal guard could not identify the captain of the boat as the crew and people on board refused to name him… Since the vessel is still in the international waters, the coastal guard cannot act without a captain's consent,” the statement said.
The Adriatic sea is often used by illegal immigrants attempting to reach Western Europe's coastal states. - Sapa-AFP