A 50-day-old migrant infant survived on milk formula mixed with sea water on a rocky islet on the island of Tilos in south-eastern Aegean sea.
The baby, his parents and more migrants were stranded on a rocky, not easy to access area over the beach and thus for three days.
They had no food nor water, and so the parents mixed the baby formula with salty, sea water.
A big evacuation operation with the Coast Guard, rescuers and volunteers was launched until the infant, his parents, a sibling and two more migrants were located.
The infant was found exhausted and rescuers used a plastic dinghy to bring him to safety.
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Rescuers named the little survivor Ionas – Jonas – after the monk with the same name who was washed up in Tilos and built the monastery of Saint Panteleimon for which the island is famous.
It was the mayor of Tilos, Maria Kamma, who also made the case public and posted it on FB praising the small community of the island for rushing to help in any way people could.
Total 36 migrants rescued
According to a Coast Guard statement, the Port Authority of Tilos was informed about the existence of immigrants/refugees in the wider area of Megalo Chorio of Tilos in the morning hours of Friday, August 16.
Officers reached the area to find a total of 30 migrants, who stated that they were brought there by a speedboat from the Turkish west coast opposite of Tilos. The human traffickers left immediately after they disembarked. The migrants stated also that another six (06) people (including an infant) are trapped and remain in a rocky, inaccessible area between the coastal areas of “SKAFIS” and “LETHRON”.
A Coast Guard patrol boat and a helicopter as well as officers on foot set out to locate these six people, however, without positive results.
Ultimately, the officers found the migrants and successfully transported them to the port of Livadia.
According to media, a Super Puma helicopter assisted in the evacuation of the people.
A total of thirty-six (36) people (18 men, 9 women and 9 minors) were identified, all in good health. A preliminary investigation is being carried out by the Port Station of Tilos.
