61 migrants rescued by freighter off Malta landed on Crete

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities say a group of 61 migrants picked up by a cargo ship from a crippled vessel in the Mediterranean Sea have safely disembarked on the island of Crete. It was unclear whether these were the same people who had earlier been reported stranded for days without provisions on a leaking fishing boat near Malta. On Tuesday, a Greek navy helicopter had airlifted a 4-year-old girl with health problems and her mother off the BBC Pearl freighter, that had rescued the migrants, but the child was pronounced dead upon arrival at a hospital on Crete. The coast guard said the remaining 33 men, seven women and 21 children disembarked early Wednesday in southern Crete. Two required hospital treatment.