Over 400 refugees have been rescued in the last 24 hours off the coast of Gavdos, a small Greek island south of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea, the Greek coast guard said.

The rescue operation was carried out by the Greek port police and the European agency Frontex to rescue 352 people aboard a fishing boat off Gavdos, according to the same source quoted by AFP.

The operation took place 30 nautical miles from Gavdos, which in recent years has been a common crossing point for people from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East traveling to Europe.

The boat carrying the migrants was spotted by a Frontex vessel, and a coast guard vessel and four cargo ships in the vicinity took part in the rescue operation.

Those rescued are to be transferred to a temporary reception and distribution center in Paleochora, Chania, Crete, where they will undergo registration and identification procedures.

On June 19, another group of about 40 migrants was spotted off the coast of Gavdos by the Greek coast guard.

They were also transferred to the camp in Crete, according to an official statement.

No details have been released yet on the origin of those rescued.

Located on the EU's external borders in the southeastern Mediterranean, Greece is one of the main gateways to Europe for people fleeing mainly war and poverty in search of a better future. | BGNES