Athens - The Greek coastguard on Sunday said it had rescued 117 asylum-seekers sailing fromLibya, arresting three suspected smugglers.

The coastguard said the 84 men, two women and 31 minors were on board a 10-metre boat moored at a southern Crete bay used by fishermen.

The asylum seekers said they had sailed from Tobruk, Libya on Thursday, heading for Italy, the authorities said in a statement.

Along with Italy, Greece has been on the frontlines of receiving migrants seeking to enter the European Union by crossing the Mediterranean from Turkey or North Africa.

Some 45,000 asylum-seekers arrived in Greece last year, almost all landing at islands near the Turkish coast. It is the largest number in four years, according to the United Nations.

In June, a dilapidated boat capsized and sank off Pylos in the Peloponnese, drowning 82 people, while hundreds were reported missing.

Forty of the survivors have filed a group lawsuit against Greek authorities alleging they failed to take appropriate action before the boat sank.

- Nampa/AFP