Athens, Dec 22 (IANS): A man lost his life and dozens were missing after a boat carrying unknown number of refugees and migrants sank off the island of Folegandros, Greece's Coast Guard said on Wednesday.
Twelve persons have been rescued, including seven men, a woman and four minors. The rescue operation was underway to locate the missing, Hellenic Coast Guard spokesperson commander Nikos Kokkalas told Greek national news agency AMNA.
The vessel had probably set sail from the nearby Turkish coast and the destination was Italy, Xinhua news agency reported.
Some survivors told authorities that a total of 32 people were on board, while others raised the number to 50, according to an e-mailed official press statement. Their nationalities have not been clarified so far.
Greece has been at the forefront of the refugee and migrant influx since 2015 and hundreds have perished in the Aegean Sea in the past six years.