More than 100 migrants were rescued early Sunday off the Aegean island of Mykonos, while four others are missing, the Greek coast guard said.
“
A large-scale migrant rescue operation began on Saturday night two miles south of the island of Delos.
So far, 108 migrants have been rescued, while according to those rescued, four people are missing
,” the coast guard said in a statement.
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Among those rescued are 24 women and 21 children, while three people were taken to a health center in Mykonos.
Port police responded to a distress call by sending three boats and a tug to help the stricken vessel which came from Turkey, the coast guard told AFP.
Continuation of search and rescue efforts
The tug reached the sailboat carrying the migrants but was unable to bring it to safety as it was taking on water, according to the coast guard statement.
The rescue task was also made difficult due to strong winds, adds the same source.
The migrants were taken to a nearby rocky islet before being flown to Mykonos early on Sunday.
Search and rescue efforts continue.
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Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi tweeted earlier on Sunday that eight migrants were missing and 104 had been rescued.
He also called on Turkey to do more "
to protect human lives and eradicate smuggling networks
".
In May, Greek authorities said they stopped around 600 migrants crossing the Aegean Sea into Greece from neighboring Turkey in one day, the largest attempt on record this year.
According to a source from the Ministry of Migration, the flow of migrants for the first four months of the year is almost 30% higher than for the same period last year.