Two bodies recovered, eight sailors sought after cargo ship sinks of Peloponnese
Two bodies have been recovered from the sea off the southeastern coast of the Peloponnese, where a cargo ship sank on Monday morning.
Authorities said that a major rescue operation was taking place to find another eight sailors that are thought to be missing after the Piri Reis sank.
The Cook Islands-flagged vessel, which was carrying fertilizer to Ukraine, sank after colliding with another cargo ship, the Consouth, which is registered in Antigua and Barbuda.
The Piri Reis sank in seven minutes, officials said. The Consouth suffered only minor damage.
It was not immediately clear what caused the collision near the island of Sapienza.
There were a total of 17 sailors, all Syrians, on board the Piri Reis.
Four coast guard boats, a C-130 airplane and a helicopter are taking part in the search operation.
