A large-scale rescue operation for missing migrants in the sea area south of Folegandros, following the sinking of a plastic boat carrying an unknown number of people, has been in progress since early Wednesday morning. One dead and dozens missing is the toll so far. A naval vessel located in the sea area 12 migrants in good health to board a small auxiliary boat.
According to the spokesman of the Coast Guard, Lieutenant Captain Nikos Kokkalas, so far 12 migrants (seven men, four teenagers and a woman) have been rescued who were collected by a boat of the Coast Guard and were in a small auxiliary dinghy, while a body has been found. which was transferred to Santorini.
According to him, all the rescued have been transported to the hospital of Santorini for precautionary reasons, while according to their statement, they stated that the boat they were riding in with other people sank. The spokesman of the Coast Guard stressed that, according to the first information, the boat had probably started from the Turkish coast to Italy, while when asked if the sunken boat can be located, Mr. Kokkalas stressed that such a thing is too very difficult as in the sea area the depths are very great, however he stressed that the investigations are ongoing and we want to say we are optimistic that missing people can be found.
He added that “this is an incident that saddens us, shocks and angers us as we have stressed from the Ministry of Shipping and the headquarters of the Coast Guard, as organized criminal networks operate uncontrollably on the shores of Turkey and put people and especially children in unsuitable boats that are not navigable and without any rescue equipment, we will have such tragic events. We have emphasized this in international fora and in international organizations, despite the voices of disorientation that exist from the real root of the problem. “The officers of the port corps will continue to do today as in the past but also in the future what they do perfectly, to save human lives at sea,” he stressed.
Searches continue in the offshore area, from one port and three naval vessels, a navy helicopter and an air force helicopter, a c-130 aircraft, five floating ships and private boats.
