Rescues underway for migrants on board sailboats off the coast of western Greece and in Cyclades

Two rescue operations were underway Wednesday for migrants crammed on board sailboats, one far off the coast of a western Greek island and the other off the coast of a Cycladic island near the Greek capital, the coast guard said.

A group of 76 people were rescued from a sailing boat in distress 64 nautical miles (74 miles, 118 kilometers) southwest of the Ionian Sea island of Zakynthos in western Greece, the coast guard said. All were taken on board a passing Egyptian-flagged cargo ship, and there were no reports of any missing people.

It was not immediately clear where the sailboat had set out from, but the area lies on the route often used by smuggling vessels carrying migrants from northern Africa to Italy.

In the second incident, a rescue operation was launched for a “sizeable number” of people on board a sailboat near the northwestern coast of Kythnos island, one of the Cyclades to the southeast of the Greek capital.

It was not immediately clear how many people were on board, the coast guard said. Two private boats and one coast guard patrol vehicle on land were in the area, while another three coast guard patrol boats were heading to the location, authorities said.

Greece has seen an increase in the arrival of smuggling boats bringing migrants into the country over the last two months, mainly small dinghies heading to eastern Aegean Sea islands near the Turkish coast. [AP]