Coast guard officers detained 62 illegal immigrants on an eastern Aegean Sea island Tuesday after the boat that was ferrying them from Turkey was disabled in a storm, the Merchant Marine Ministry said. The immigrants _ all men _ were detained on the island of Karpathos where the coast guard towed their 14-meter (46-foot) boat which had been drifting in strong winds, the ministry said. Their nationalities were not immediately known. Three of the immigrants were taken to a hospital with symptoms of exhaustion, while the rest were temporarily housed at a hotel. Thousands of people from Asia, Eastern Europe and the Mideast attempt to reach Greece each year, often by crossing to Aegean islands from nearby Turkey. Authorities have detained about 380 illegal immigrants in the past two weeks.
