Athens, May 16 (IANS): A search and rescue operation was launched off the Greek island of Crete on Thursday for three people missing after their migrant boat sank, local authorities said.
A total of 42 passengers were rescued by the Hellenic Coast Guard -- the national coast guard of Greece -- and Navy forces as well as commercial ships sailing in the area where the incident took place, some 27 nautical miles southwest of Crete island's coast, Xinhua news agency reported.
Greek authorities were notified by the Italian side that they had received a distress call from the migrant boat on Wednesday night, according to Hellenic Coast Guard sources.
Greece has been at the forefront of the refugee and migrant influx into Europe since 2015, and hundreds have perished in the Aegean Sea over the past nine years.