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One person has died and 25 others remain missing after a boat carrying migrants sank near the Greek island of Gavdos, the country’s coastguard said.
Fifty-one people were rescued from two vessels near the site of the incident, according to a coastguard spokesperson. Survivors said 77 people had been aboard the boat when it sank off Gavdos, near Crete.
A search-and-rescue operation is underway, involving four ships, boats, a Frontex aircraft and a coastguard helicopter. Strong winds in the area are hampering the operation.
The 51 rescued migrants will be taken to Crete, where they will undergo the required procedures, state broadcaster ERT reported.
Crete and Gavdos, located about 320km from the Libyan coast, have emerged as key entry points for migrants seeking to reach Greece.
Greek government data show migrant arrivals fell by about 31% over the past year, from around 61,000 to 42,000.
Despite the decline, Greece has tightened its migration policies. In July, the government suspended asylum applications for three months for migrants arriving by sea from North Africa following a rise in arrivals in Crete.
The government is also planning stricter measures for rejected asylum seekers, including detention and electronic ankle monitoring before deportation.