Eighteen people in total, including three children, were rescued safe and sound by Greek authorities on Thursday after the sinking of a yacht off the island of Milos in the Aegean Sea, we learned from the Greek coast guards.
At first, the coast guard had indicated that there were 17 people who fell into the water after their yacht sank.
“The 18 castaways, all Greeks, are safe and sound and were transferred to the island of Milos aboard an ocean liner,” an official from the Coast Guard press office told AFP.
Three patrol boats, an ocean liner and two helicopters participated in the rescue operation supported by two helicopters, including one from the Greek Air Force, according to the same source.
An ocean liner was chartered to retrieve the castaways, the coast guard said, emphasizing that a freighter sailing in the area as well as an air force plane had also participated in the operation, according to the coast guard.
The British-flagged yacht Acvitannia was 28 meters long, according to initial reports, with strong winds of 40 km / h (6 Beaufort) blowing in the area where the sinking occurred on Thursday, 16 nautical miles from Milos, near the islet of Antimilos.
The Greek island of Milos is located in the Cyclades archipelago in the Aegean Sea, southeast of Athens, a popular tourist destination in summer.
The sinking of the yacht occurred near a maritime area called Falconera known for the sinking of the ferry “Heraklion” that occurred in December 1966, which left 273 dead.
