Greek authorities have recovered the body of a man and rescued 39 migrants after their boat capsized off the southern island of Gavdos in the Mediterranean, the coastguard reported Saturday.
Witness accounts suggest many others remain missing. A large-scale search operation involving vessels and aircraft was launched late Friday night after the incident was reported.
In separate rescue efforts on Saturday, a Malta-flagged cargo ship saved 47 migrants from a boat located about 40 nautical miles from Gavdos, while a tanker rescued 88 migrants approximately 28 nautical miles off the same island.
Preliminary information indicates that the boats may have departed together from Libya, according to coastguard officials.
Greece, once a major entry point to the European Union for migrants from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia during the 2015-2016 migration crisis, has seen a rise in shipwrecks near isolated areas like Crete and Gavdos in the past year.
These incidents underscore the continued risks faced by migrants crossing the Mediterranean in search of safety and better opportunities.