50 migrants missing off the Greek island of Karpathos

At least 50 migrants are said to be missing in the sinking of a boat off the Greek island of Karpathos, in the southeastern Aegean Sea.

There were about eighty people on board and the search for the missing is continuing. The boat had left from the Turkish coast and would have been bound for Italy. The rescued according to AFP (Agence France-Presse) are "Afghans, Iraqis and Iranians".

So far, the Greek Coast Guard has rescued 29 people, but the search continues because, according to their statements, there were between 20 and 50 people on the boat,” said Nikos Kokalas, the Greek Coast Guard spokesman. searches are hampered by strong winds, he said.

The sunken vessel had sailed from the Turkish city of Antalya and was bound for Italy. Rescuers reported that "many of the castaways were not wearing life jackets".

The dangerous crossing of a few nautical miles between the Greek islands and the Turkish coast in the Aegean Sea, located in the eastern Mediterranean, costs the lives of many migrants and refugees who try to reach Europe aboard makeshift boats to escape wars and misery.