One sailor of the freighter ‘Raptor’ that sank off the island of Lesvos in the East Aegean early on Sunday was rescued by a Hellenic Navy helicopter, while a search is ongoing for another 13.
The freighter sailed under the Comoros Islands flag and is managed by a company based in Lebanon. It was carrying salt from Egypt to Istanbul with 14 crew – 1 Indian national, 11 Egyptian nationals and 2 Syrian nationals. At 07:00 on Sunday morning it had notified it had a mechanical failure. At 08:20, the captain said the ship was listing and activated the “mayday, mayday” emergency call to nearby ships. The ship then disappeared off radars.
Early assessments said the ship met with a rough sea in the Aegean – with northwesterly winds registering 8 on the Beaufort scale – and may have started taking in water, which would have contributed to its listing and subsequent sinking.
Assisting the search and rescue in the area are 5 nearby freighters, 3 port authority boats, and the helicopter, while a Greek Navy frigate is also assisting.
(amna.gr)