Seven charged for trafficking on Crete

Seven men aged between 30 and 50 who were on board the cargo ship carrying hundreds of migrants that was towed to safety on Crete last week were charged with human trafficking on Saturday.

The seven men told a prosecutor in Lasithi that they were Syrian, like most of the people on board the Baris. The suspects are due to give their depositions on Monday.

Apart from the alleged traffickers there were another 586 people on board the ship, which is thought to have been ferrying irregular migrants from Turkey to Italy.

The migrants have been housed temporarily in an indoor basketball court in Ierapetra.