Greece – shipwreck
A major rescue operation for 13 missing sailors was underway off the Greek island of Lesbos Sunday. A comoro-flagged cargo ship sank off the island amid strong winds. So far, a helicopter has picked up one crew member, the coast guard said. He has been taken to a hospital on Lesbos. “He is in a state of shock,” coast guard spokesman Nikos Alexiou told AFP, without giving further details. What happened to the 13 other crew members is not known. Five cargo ships, three ships from the Coast Guard and helicopters from the Air Force and Navy were taking part in the rescue effort. A frigate from the Navy also participates. Authorities said the freighter, which had a crew of 14 and salt in its cargo, went down 8.3 kilometers southwest of Lesbos, near Turkey’s coast. It happened early Sunday. /ritzau/AFP