Search continues for crew of sunken cargo ship in Greek waters

Search continues for crew of sunken cargo ship in Greek waters

The search continues for 12 crew members missing after a cargo ship sank in rough weather on Sunday.

Frontex, the European Union's border and coastguard agency, has joined rescue efforts near the Greek island of Lesbos.

The Comoros-flagged Raptor was transporting salt from Alexandria, Egypt, to Istanbul and issued a distress signal before sinking.

It had a crew of 14, including eight Egyptians, four Indians and two Syrians, the Greek coast guard said.

A 40-year-old Egyptian crew member was rescued on Sunday while the body of another Egyptian member of the crew was recovered by a commercial vessel assisting in the search.

The Raptor first reported mechanical problems at 07:00 Sunday morning, and sent a distress signal at 08:20.

Shortly after that it disappeared around 8 kilometres southwest of Lesbos, according to the authorities.

Frontex, which patrols the Lesbos area monitoring for illegal migration, sent a surveillance aircraft and a patrol boat to join the Greek coast guard search.