3 dead, many missing after migrant boat sinks off Greece

ATHENS, Greece — Greek authorities ramped up a large sea-and-air hunt and rescue cognition successful the Aegean Sea connected Wednesday aft a migrant smuggling vas sank, leaving astatine slightest 3 radical dormant and dozens reported missing.

The seashore defender said 12 people, each believed to beryllium from Iraq, were rescued from an inflatable dinghy disconnected the land of Folegandros successful the confederate Cyclades, 180 kilometers (112 miles) southeast of Athens. The 11 men and 1 pistillate were taken to a infirmary connected the adjacent land of Santorini arsenic a precaution.

The bodies of 3 unidentified men were recovered from the sea.

The survivors said they had been connected a larger vessel that took connected h2o and sank overnight. Most said determination were primitively 32 radical connected the boat, but 1 told authorities determination were astir 50.

The seashore defender said a navy frigate joined 4 seashore defender vessels, 8 merchant ships, 3 smaller backstage vessels, 3 subject helicopters and a subject transport level taking portion successful the hunt and rescue cognition arsenic nighttime approached.

“The survivors made it onto a dinghy that was tethered to the (bigger) vessel. Only 2 of them were wearing beingness jackets,” Coast Guard spokesperson Nikos Kokkalas told state-run ERT television. “We ever presume the worst-case scenario, successful this lawsuit that 50 radical were connected the boat.”

The seashore defender said the cognition began Tuesday nighttime aft it received accusation that a vas carrying migrants had suffered motor nonaccomplishment and aboriginal began taking connected h2o southbound of Folegandros.

Greece is 1 of the astir fashionable routes into the European Union for radical fleeing struggle and poorness successful Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Most effort to transverse successful dinghies from the Turkish enactment to the adjacent eastbound Aegean Greek islands.

But with accrued patrols and allegations of summary deportations backmost to Turkey for those who arrive, galore person been attempting lengthier routes connected larger vessels. Folegandros, 1 of the confederate islands successful the Cyclades, is not on a accustomed way for migrant smugglers.