NICOSIA: Cyprus police say a 36-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly driving one of a pair of boats that brought 305 Syrian refugees to the island's northwestern coast.
Police spokesman Michalis Ioannou said Sunday that the 202 men, 30 women and 73 children who arrived at around midnight are thought to be the largest number of migrants to reach Cyprus in a single day.
Ioannou says they departed from Mersin, Turkey on Saturday.
He says the passengers reported paying $2,000 (1,658 euros) each for the trip. Some with relatives in Cyprus have expressed the desire to remain there. Others said they want to go to Germany or to Scandinavian countries.
All will be taken to a reception center except for a woman and her newborn baby, who were hospitalized.