32 migrants rescued, 2 missing off Greek island of Lesbos

A search and rescue operation has been launched in the eastern Aegean Sea after a dinghy carrying migrants either sank or overturned off the Greek island of Lesbos, the Greek coast guard said Wednesday.

A search and rescue operation has been launched in the eastern Aegean Sea after a dinghy carrying migrants either sank or overturned off the Greek island of Lesbos, the Greek coast guard said Wednesday. It said 32 people — 15 men, 14 women and three children — had been rescued from the sea, while two women were missing. The migrants were located during a routine patrol in early Wednesday.

Two Greek patrol boats, one vessel from the European border agency Frontex and two helicopters were participating in the search and rescue operation. Greece remains one of the most popular routes into the European Union for people fleeing poverty and conflict in the Mideast, Africa and Asia. The vast majority make their way from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands, often in unseaworthy and grossly overcrowded dinghies and boats.

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