ROME (AP) — Italian Coast Guard was searching for possible missing people off Italy’s southern coast Monday, following the shipwreck of a sailboat with migrants on board, believed to be departing from Turkey. It was not immediately clear how many migrants were missing.
The search and rescue operation started following a Mayday call by a French boat, sailing about 120 miles (193.12 kilometers) from the Italian coast, at the limit of the SAR areas under the jurisdiction of Greece and Italy, the coast guard said in a statement.
After reporting the presence of the half-sunken boat, rescuers recovered 12 migrants from the vessel. The survivors were brought to the Calabrian port of Roccella Jonica, where they were disembarked and entrusted to the care of medical personnel.
One of the migrants died soon after, the coast guard said.
The Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (IMRCC) of the Coast Guard in Rome immediately diverted two merchant vessels sailing nearby to the scene of the rescue. Assets from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex also helped.
