Current:Home > InvestRescue operation underway off southwestern Greece for around 90 migrants on board yacht-LoTradeCoin
Rescue operation underway off southwestern Greece for around 90 migrants on board yacht
View Date:2024-12-23 21:18:40
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A rescue operation was underway Wednesday morning for dozens of migrants on board a yacht reported to be in difficulty off the southwestern coast of Greece, authorities said.
The coast guard said the yacht, believed to be carrying around 90 people, was spotted about 40 nautical miles (46 miles, 74 kilometers) west of the small town of Pylos.
Six of the people on board were picked up by another yacht sailing in the area and transported to Pylos, where one woman was transferred to a hospital in the southern city of Kalamata.
Another 25 people were picked up by a passing tanker ship and were being transported to Kalamata, while the remaining passengers were being transferred to another passing cargo ship, the coast guard said.
A coast guard lifeboat was on the scene, and another coast guard vessel was on the way. There were no reports of any missing passengers.
The area is near where a deadly migrant shipwreck in June left hundreds of people dead and missing and led to allegations that Greek authorities failed to respond appropriately to rescue the passengers.
The overcrowded trawler had set sail from Libya with an estimated 500-700 people on board. Only 104 people survived, while 82 bodies were recovered. The rest sank with the trawler in what is one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean.
Last week, 40 of the survivors filed a lawsuit in Greece against “all parties responsible,” saying Greek authorities failed to intervene to rescue the passengers before the vessel capsized.
Many of the survivors dispute the official account that repeated offers of assistance by the coast guard were rejected and claim that a botched effort was made to tow the vessel to safety shortly before it capsized and sank.
Greece lies along a route used by smugglers to ferry people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia into the European Union.
Many use small dinghies to head from Turkey to Greek islands near the Turkish coast, while others use larger sailing boats, yachts or fishing vessels in an attempt to make the longer crossing from either Turkey or north Africa to Italy, bypassing Greece.
___
Find more of AP’s migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
veryGood! (1566)
Related
- Sofia Richie Reveals 5-Month-Old Daughter Eloise Has a Real Phone
- Taylor Swift tickets to Eras Tour in Australia are among cheapest one can find. Here's why.
- Wendy's adds Cinnabon Pull-Apart to breakfast offerings: See when it's set to hit menus
- Paul McCartney reunited with stolen 1961 Höfner bass after more than 50 years
- Congress is revisiting UFOs: Here's what's happened since last hearing on extraterrestrials
- Tinder and Hinge dating apps are designed to addict users, lawsuit claims
- Blogger Laura Merritt Walker Shares Her 3-Year-Old Son Died After Tragic Accident
- New Hampshire lawmakers approve sending 15 National Guard members to Texas
- To Protect the Ozone Layer and Slow Global Warming, Fertilizers Must Be Deployed More Efficiently, UN Says
- Alexei Navalny, jailed opposition leader and Putin’s fiercest foe, has died, Russian officials say
Ranking
- Prayers and cheeseburgers? Chiefs have unlikely fuel for inexplicable run
- Rob Manfred anticipates 'a great year' for MLB. It's what happens next that's unresolved.
- Missed watching 'The Doomsday Prophet: Truth and Lies' on TV? Here's where to stream it.
- Women are breaking Brazil's 'bate bola' carnival mold
- Unexpected pairing: New documentary tells a heartwarming story between Vietnam enemies
- How an OnlyFans mom's ads got 9 kids got expelled from Florida private Christian school
- Putin claims he favors more predictable Biden over Trump
- Amy Schumer Reacts to Barbie’s Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig Getting Snubbed By Oscars 2024
Recommendation
-
Britney Spears reunites with son Jayden, 18, after kids moved in with dad Kevin Federline
-
'Making HER-STORY': Angel Reese, Tom Brady, more react to Caitlin Clark breaking NCAA scoring record
-
Prince Harry says he's 'grateful' he visited King Charles III amid cancer diagnosis
-
5 patients die after oxygen cut off in Gaza hospital seized by Israeli forces, health officials say
-
Singles' Day vs. Black Friday: Which Has the Best Deals for Smart Shoppers?
-
Legendary choreographer Fatima Robinson on moving through changes in dance
-
Pregnant Giannina Gibelli and Bachelor Nation's Blake Horstmann Reveal Sex of Baby
-
5 patients die after oxygen cut off in Gaza hospital seized by Israeli forces, health officials say