Two men in Crete missing during boat trip found alive

Two men who went missing on Wednesday during a boat trip in northeastern Crete were found in the sea area off the coast of Hersonissos on Thursday morning, the Coast Guard said.

The two men, a 23-year-old Greek national and a 23-year-old foreigner, tried to row to an islet which is 7 nautical miles from land. The weather conditions were good and there were no winds in the area when they left, locals said. 

Their relatives declared them missing shortly after seven on Wednesday, after they failed to return. A Coast Guard vessel spotted them sitting in their dinghy northeast of Iraklio airport and were transferred to Iraklio port and the local hospital, thought they seemed well in their health.

The search and rescue operation covered the coastal area of Hersonissos and authorities had alerted nearby ships and boats.