Syrian refugees reach northwestern Cyprus

Eight undocumented refugees reached Cypriot shores on Sunday morning, while authorities are dealing with two different accounts of how they reached the island.

The presumptive refugees from Syria, all males between the ages of 24 and 41, arrived in Latchi, in the northwestern part of the Republic Cyprus, very early in the morning.

According to media reports, one of the refugees walked over to the coast guard station in the area and reported the arrival of eight men, him included, saying they arrived on Taka beach by speed boat around 2:30am from Mersin, Turkey.

But officials, who located a motor boat at the nearby Pitili dog beach, have not conclusively determined the full circumstances of their arrival, suggesting that one of the eight men could have commandeered the motor boat. This could be a contradiction to previous accounts of migrants being dropped off by human traffickers who then went back to Turkey.

Coast Guard officers were investigating the arrival while all refugees were processed through immigration and were set to be transported to Kokkinotrimithia reception facility, Nicosia district.

The men reported that each they paid €2500 to travel to Cyprus.