GREECE – Five people died after a migrant boat sank off Crete, Greece’s coastguard said, leaving 40 people reportedly missing while 39 survivors were rescued. The boat, which capsized early Saturday, sank 12 nautical miles southwest of the island, according to ERTNEWS, which reported the 40 missing.

A large rescue operation involving vessels and aircraft was under way in the sea south of the island of Gavdos, south of Crete, after the boat capsized shortly after midnight, the coastguard said. Earlier, the coastguard said they recovered the body of one person on Saturday morning. Later in the afternoon, the coastguard told AFP news agency the number of people found dead had risen to five.

In separate incidents on Saturday, a Malta-flagged cargo vessel rescued 47 migrants from a boat sailing about 40 nautical miles (74 kilometers) off Gavdos, while a tanker rescued another 88 people some 28 nautical miles (52 kilometers) off the island. According to initial information, coastguard officials believe the boats left together from Libya. (Aljazeera)