At least three people drowned and 56 were rescued when a migrant boat capsized due to heavy winds off the island of Crete late on Monday, the Greek Coast Guard said in an announcement.
The dead included one woman and two children. The bodies were found 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers, 14 miles) off the island’s eastern coast. One of the boat’s passengers had made an emergency call for help when the vessel was being hit by winds of up to 61 kilometers per hour.
Four Coast Guard and military vessels, along with two helicopters, were still searching the area off the eastern coast of the island. It was unclear where the boat originated, and the nationalities of the migrants were not immediately disclosed.
The Coast Guard said that efforts continued deep into the evening to locate other people who might be in the water.
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