Cyprus authorities on Tuesday arrested 19 illegal immigrants smuggled smugglers on the west coast of the Mediterranean island, Cyprus News Agency reported.
The agency said the authorities believed the migrants arrived by boat to the area of ​​Akamas on Monday evening before being arrested on Tuesday.
Smugglers fled suspects aboard a speedboat despite attempts by Cypriot naval police to track and intercept them.
The identities of the 19 men (14 men, two women and three children) who were taken to a reception center in Nicosia were not immediately known.
During the current year, the arrival of Syrian migrants to Cyprus increased from Lebanon and Turkey.
Nicosia warned the EU that it was facing increased pressure on immigrants and asked Brussels for more help to deal with it.
Cyprus received 4,022 asylum applications in the first eight months of 2018, 55 percent more than the same period last year.
However, despite the fact that it is only 160 km away from the Syrian coast, the small Mediterranean island has not witnessed the massive influx of immigrants that Turkey and Greece have faced.
