A boat carrying dozens of immigrants ran aground about 50 metrs off the Greek island of Rhodes and at least three have drowned, the country’s coast guard said on Monday.
Video footage and photos posted by the local news website Rodiaki show about a dozen migrants sitting on a floating piece of wreckage pushed toward the shore.
[youtube id=”B9pXOKbnhBk” width=”600″ height=”350″]
Coast Guard officers and passers-by jump into the waves to rescue the migrants, including a young child wearing a lifejacket.
At least three people are known to have died in the incident.
“We have recovered three bodies so far – that of a man, a woman and a child. The search-and-rescue operation continues,” a Greek coast guard official said.
About 80 people have been rescued so far and 23 of those had been taken to hospital, another Greek coast guard official said.