Fifty-nine dead, 104 rescued after boat carrying migrants capsizes near Greece

(ATHENS, Greece) — Rescue efforts were underway Wednesday after a fishing vessel carrying migrants capsized and sank in the Mediterranean Sea, about 54 miles off the coast of Pylos, Greece.

At least 104 people have been rescued and 59 have died, the Greek Coast Guard said. Unconfirmed early estimates put hundreds of migrants — perhaps as many as 650 — on board when the boat began to sink at about 2:30 a.m. local time.

The Greek Coast Guard was in charge of the rescue operation, which included six Coast Guard vessels, a Greek Navy frigate, a military transport plane, an Air Force helicopter, several private vessels and a drone from the European Union border protection agency.

Survivors are being brought to a hospital on Kalamata, a city in southern Greece, officials said. Mayan Queen IV, a 300-foot yacht, picked up some survivors.

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