Croatia rescues 65 immigrants at sea

(ZAGREB) - Croatia's coast guard on Monday rescued about 65 illegal immigrants after their ship heading to Italy broke down in the Adriatic sea, local authorities said.

The boat, a motorised sail vessel, was towed into the port of Dubrovnik by a local coast guard ship, private Nova TV channel reported.

Local authorities have set up tents near the port to enable medical teams examine the immigrants before sending them to an old warehouse which has been turned into a makeshift shelter, it said.

The defence ministry said it distributed food and medicine to the Somalian, Egyptian, Syrian and Afghani immigrants on the boat bound for Italy from Greece after it was spotted in international waters south of the Croatian island of Mljet.

The Adriatic is often used by illegal immigrants attempting to reach Western Europe's coastal states.