Aegean Sea: Ship carrying more than 100 migrants rescued from Mykonos

More than 100 migrants were rescued early Sunday morning from the Aegean island of Mykonos, and four others are missing, the Greek Coast Guard said. “Two miles south of Dolos Island (about 3.7 km, editorial note) a large-scale migrant rescue operation began Saturday through Sunday. Initially, 108 migrants were rescued, while, according to rescuers, four were missing.

Among those rescued were 24 women and 21 children, three of whom were taken to a health center in Mykonos.

The port police responded to a distress call by sending three boats and a tow truck to assist the ship from Turkey. The tugboat reached the boat carrying the migrants, but was unable to bring it safely because it was carrying water, the Coast Guard said. The rescue operation was also hampered by strong winds.

The migrants were taken to a nearby rocky island before being taken to Mykonos early Sunday morning.

Search and rescue operations continue. Eight migrants are missing and 104 have been rescued, Greek Immigration Minister Notice Mitarachi said on Sunday morning. He also called on Turkey to do more to “protect human lives and eliminate smuggling networks.”

In May, Greek authorities said they had blocked a single day of crossing the Aegean Sea from neighboring Turkey into Greece, the largest attempt recorded this year. According to the Ministry of Migration, the flow of migrants in the first four months of the year was almost 30% higher than the same period last year.