North Cyprus rescues 175 Syrians from the sea turned away by Nicosia

Police in northern Cyprus said that they had rescued 175 Syrians from the sea after authorities in the island's south stopped them from disembarking the previous day.

The eastern Mediterranean island is divided between the internationally-recognised Republic of Cyprus and the northern third under Turkish control.

Police in the north said the refugees, including 69 children, were rescued overnight after their boat sank not far from shore, south of the Karpas Peninsula.

They were taken to a sports facility in the Iskele district and would undergo medical examinations, police added.

It was not immediately clear where the boat had set off from.

On Friday, authorities in the south had stopped the boat from landing.

Cyprus is located 160 kilometres (100 miles) from the Syrian coast and close to Lebanon and Turkey, two major host countries of Syrian refugees.

The Republic of Cyprus, an EU member, says it is on the front line of the Mediterranean migration route with the highest number of first-time asylum seekers per capita.

Several migrant boats carrying Syrians have reached Cyprus in recent months.

However, the island has not seen the massive inflows experienced by Turkey and Greece.

Syria's fight with coronavirus

Syria's White Helmets civilian defence force are taking measures to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus in the northwest of the country.

The White Helmets, also known as the Syrian Civil Defence, are sterilising "vital centers and facilities" such as camps, mosques, schools and other place which are regularly frequented, it said Sunday on Twitter.

The civil defence force are known for their rescue efforts in Idlib - which has been subject to heavy Russian and regime bombing.

Read More: Syria Weekly: The Struggle for the State in Syria

Syria's war, which entered its 10th year this month, is now concentrated in the northwest province of Idlib. The last rebel-held territory standing, Idlib has been ruthlessly targeted by regime forces.

The White Helmets were helped by Turkish health organisations to sterilise a school in the area of Ghosn al-Zeitun in Afrin on Wednesday as part of a campaign to disinfect schools against COVID-19.

The sterilisation campaign, reported by AFP, launched by the White Helmets suggests there are fears in northwest Syria that coronavirus is spreading in the population.