At least 43 migrants rescued in Aegean Sea

ÇANAKKALE/ATHENS

At least 43 irregular migrants, who got stranded in the Aegean Sea as their inflatable boat suffered engine failure, have been rescued off Turkey’s western province of Çanakkale by Turkish coast guard teams.

Acting on the information that a group of migrants was wafting in a boat off the coast of Ayvacık district, the Coast Guard launched a rescue operation in the area.

The migrants were referred to the provincial migration office for deportation after they were rescued by the teams.

Meanwhile, at least seven people died after a sailboat carrying dozens of migrants struck rocks and sank off southern Greece in a second deadly incident involving migrants in two days.

The Greek authorities said four bodies were recovered from waters around a rocky islet near the island of Antikythera, which is some 235 kilometers south of Athens, after the vessel hit the rocks.

It said about 90 survivors from the accident were assembled on the islet and were due to be rescued, while patrol vessels were searching for people possibly missing at sea.