4 Indians among the missing after cargo ship capsizes off Greece Coast; rescue operation on
PTC News Desk: A cargo ship carrying 14 crew members including Indian crew members sank off the coast of Lesbos island in Greece due to high-speed winds on Sunday, Al Jazeera reported.
The Raptor, a Comoros-flagged ship carrying salt from Dekheila, Egypt, to Istanbul, sank early Sunday 4.5 nautical miles (8.3 km) southwest of Lesbos.
Five cargo ships, three Coast Guard vessels, an air force, navy helicopters, and a navy frigate have joined the search for the crew members, according to Al Jazeera, citing the Greek coastguard. So far, only one crew member has been rescued.
According to the coastguard, the crew member was airlifted from the sea by a navy helicopter during gale force winds and taken to Lisbon General Hospital for treatment.
According to Al Jazeera, the ship initially reported a mechanical failure at 7 a.m. local time (05:00 GMT), but by 8:20 a.m., the captain had issued a Mayday distress call and reported that the ship was tilting.
Shortly after, the ship vanished from radar, and authorities suspect that the heavy load caused the ship to come to a halt and sink once it encountered water.
According to Al Jazeera, the Athens News Agency (ANA) quoted the ship's operating company as saying that crew members included Syrian, Indian, and Egyptian nationals.
- ANI
