Athens - Arab Today
Greek rescuers pulled 250 people from the Mediterranean and were searching for more survivors Friday after a boat with hundreds of migrants capsized south of Crete. "We have rescued 250 people so far and are searching for more migrants in the sea," Greek Coastguard spokesman Nikolaos Lanadianos told state TV.
The boat - its origin not immediately clear and carrying migrants of undetermined nationality - capsized 75 miles south of Crete in the central Mediterranean.
Rescue ships, several commercial vessels sailing nearby and two helicopters took part in the search. According to International Organization for Migration (IOM) figures, nearly 47,000 people crossed the central Mediterranean en route to Italy in the first five months of 2016, while at least 2,061 drowned attempting the crossing.
Source: QNA