NEWS

Ship issues distress signal west of Corfu

A ship that issued a distress signal off the west of Corfu on Tuesday is believed to be carrying undocumented migrants, with Greek authorities investigating concerns that some of the passengers may be armed.

The Greek Merchant Marine Ministry was informed of the distress call, which was made over a European frequency 3.5 nautical miles off the islet of Othoni, by Italian authorities, who said there may be as many as 400 people on board the vessel.

Authorities believe the vessel to be a Moldova-registered cargo ship called Blue Sky M and that it was headed to Croatia when it ran into trouble.

Helicopters and a Hellenic Navy frigate have been dispatched to the area to investigate the situation.

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