Thirteen crew members went missing and one was rescued after a cargo ship presumably sank off the Greek island of Lesvos in the Aegean Sea early Sunday, local media reported.
According to international media reports, the freighter, which was sailing under the Comoros Islands flag and managed by a company based in Lebanon, was carrying salt from Egypt to Istanbul, Türkiye, and may have sunk due to rough seas in the Aegean.
Early assessments indicated that the ship encountered a rough sea in the Aegean, with northwesterly winds measuring 8 on the Beaufort scale, and may have begun taking in water.
The cargo ship had 14 crew members on board, including one Indian, 11 Egyptians, and two Syrians.
The ship reported a mechanical failure at 7 a.m. local time (0500GMT), the reports said, adding that at 8.20 a.m. local time (0620GMT), the captain activated the “mayday, mayday” emergency call to nearby ships.
While one crew was rescued, search and rescue efforts for 13 sailors are underway, with the assistance of a Greek warship, three port authority boats, a helicopter, and five cargo ships in the area.
