Cargo ship sinks off Greek island; 4 Indians among the missing

A cargo ship, with a crew of 14, sank off the Greek island of Lesbos on November 26. Of them, 13 were missing and one was rescued initially. Four of the crew members were Indian. Apart from that there were eight Egyptians and two Syrians, as revealed by a coast guard. 

As per the latest development, one person has been confirmed dead. His body was recovered, said the coast guard, while the one rescued – an Egyptian – was airlifted from the area, and taken to the island’s hospital. Twelve are still missing, including the four Indians. 

The ship, called Raptor, registered in the Comoros, was on its way to Istanbul from Egypt’s Alexandria, carrying 6,000 tonnes of salt. The ship reported a mechanical problem at 7 am on November 26 and sent a distress signal. It shortly after disappeared about 4 1/2 nautical miles (8 km) southwest of Lesbos. 

A coast guard spokeswoman said that eight merchant ships, two helicopters and one Greek navy frigate were searching for survivors. The coast guard vessels reached the area after much difficulty due to the rough seas. 

Northwesterly winds in excess of 80 kph (50 mph) per hour are blowing in the area, the national weather service said.

(With agency inputs) 

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