There were 3 incidents of sinking of boats in the sea of GreeceThere were three boat accidents on Saturday 14 December, with a Maltese-flagged cargo ship rescuing 47 migrants from a boat off Gaudos Island.
A tanker rescued another 88 migrants from a small island south of Greece. According to initial information, Coast Guard officials believe that these boats had left Libya together.
A boat carrying migrants from the sea southwest of Gaudos Island on Saturday
After drowning, bodies of five people were found. Two more incidents followed in which the Coast Guard was called upon to rescue migrants south of Gaudos.
The search and rescue operation is ongoing as the exact number of missing persons is not clear. According to media reports, around 80 people were on board the boat which sank sometime after midnight.
39 people were rescued in the first incident, 47 in the second and 88 in the third.
At the request of the SAR Coordination Center, a Hellenic Navy helicopter retrieved one survivor from Gavdos, who was transported to the Chania General Hospital helipad.
The rescued migrants were initially taken to Paliokhora in Khania and from there to the refugee camp in Agia, Khania. One of the migrants who suffered an accident was taken by ambulance to Khania Hospital and has been admitted to the ICU. Besides, three people are suffering from heart problems and hypothermia.
The refugees are being shifted to Aghia. While 45 people will leave on the ferry to Piraeus on Sunday morning.
According to the Deputy Mayor of Khania Eleni Zervodaki, they have been provided with medical care and medicines, shoes, clothes, blankets, food. And everyone at the center is in good health.
The death toll from a boat full of migrants capsized off the southern coast of Crete on Saturday evening rose to five, the Greek coast guard said, adding that it had rescued 39 people from the sea.
Dozens of people are still missing, according to eyewitnesses, and the Coast Guard has launched a search operation using ships and aircraft since they were alerted to the incident on Friday night.