Migrant boat sinks in Greece, at least 50 missing

International Desk: At least 50 people are missing after a migrant boat sank near the island of Karpathos in Greece. The country's coast guard has started an investigation into the sinking of a boat near the coast of Greece in the Aegean Sea. An official of the Greek coast guard told the French news agency AFP this information on Wednesday.

He said, according to the statements of the 29 people who were rescued, there were 80 aspirants in the boat. 50 of them are still missing.

The shipwreck took place on Tuesday after the boat left Turkey for Italy. Greece's coast guard has launched a search operation for the missing.

At least four vehicles took part in the rescue operation, the official said. These ships have already started searching the southern Aegean Sea. A patrol boat from the Greek Coast Guard and an air force helicopter also joined the operation.

Greek coast guard spokesman Nikos Kokalas told Sky Radio that rescue operations were being hampered by sea winds of more than 50 kilometers per hour.

Migrants fleeing poverty-stricken Africa and the war-torn Middle East often try to reach Europe via the coast of Greece in the hope of a better life. Hundreds of migrants drowned in the sea while crossing this dangerous route. Most of these migrants arrive in Greece via Turkey.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says that at least 64 migrants have drowned in the Eastern Mediterranean since January this year. According to the United Nations Migration Agency, at least 8 people died when a boat sank near the Greek island of Mykonos on June 19. Besides, 108 people were rescued alive from the sinking boat.

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