One person has died and about 20 are believed to be missing after a boat carrying migrants from Libya took on water south of the Greek island of Crete, Greek authorities said.
The Greek coast guard said 51 people were rescued early Monday from waters roughly 75 kilometres south of Crete. Patrol boats, commercial vessels, a helicopter and a drone were involved in the response, with assistance from the EU border agency Frontex. Search operations were continuing for those still unaccounted for.
The number of missing people remains an estimate while authorities establish how many were aboard. Earlier reports put the figure at about 25; the more recent account says about 20 are believed to be missing.
The crossing from eastern Libya toward Crete has become a heavily used route into Europe. Monday’s operation remained focused on finding the missing passengers as rescue crews searched the surrounding sea.
