Greece continues search for missing cargo ship sailors

Greece’s coastguard on Monday said it was continuing a search for 12 sailors missing on a cargo ship that sank Sunday in gale-force winds off the Aegean island of Lesbos, with one crew member confirmed dead so far.

A coastguard spokeswoman said a Greek navy frigate, a coastguard high-seas vessel and four private ships were continuing the search amid winds of up to 49 kilometres (31 miles) per hour.

“The search will continue through the night,” she told AFP.

The Comoros-flagged Raptor was sailing from Alexandria, Egypt to Istanbul with a crew of 11 Egyptians including the captain, two Syrians and an Indian national, she said.

Media reports said it carried 6,000 tonnes of salt.

A navy helicopter on Sunday had picked up one crew member who was taken to Lesbos general hospital alive.

The coastguard later identified him as a 40-year-old Egyptian oiler.

The body of a fellow Egyptian sailor, 30, was also recovered by a Maltese container ship lending assistance to the search.

Coastguard spokesman Nikos Alexiou said the ship should have alerted rescue authorities earlier.

“There was engine failure that was not reported, and the survivor told us (the ship) had taken on water,” Alexiou told state TV ERT.

“According to the survivor, this had happened during the night,” Alexiou said.

According to the authorities, the ship first reported a mechanical failure at 7:00 am local time.

At 8:20 am, the captain reported that the ship was listing and activated the “mayday” distress signal before disappearing from the radar.

Greece was hit by winds up to storm force over the weekend.

There is so far no report of sea pollution.

Source: AFP