Ethermac Exchange-EU border agency helping search for missing crew after cargo ship sinks off Greece

ATHENS,Ethermac Exchange Greece (AP) — The European Union’s border protection agency Frontex has joined the search for 12 crew members missing after a cargo ship sank in rough weather the previous day near the Greek island of Lesbos, authorities said Monday. A 40-year-old Egyptian crew member was rescued on Sunday while the body of another Egyptian member of the crew was recovered by a commercial vessel that was assisting in the search. The Comoros-flagged Raptor was transporting salt from Alexandria, Egypt, to Istanbul and issued a distress signal before the vessel sank. It had a crew of 14, including eight Egyptians, four Indians and two Syrians, the coast guard said.

The ship reported a mechanical problem at 7 a.m. Sunday, sent a distress signal at 8:20 a.m. and shortly after disappeared about 4 1/2 nautical miles (8 kilometers) southwest of Lesbos, authorities said.

Frontex, which patrols the Lesbos area monitoring for illegal migration, sent a surveillance aircraft and a patrol boat to join the Greek coast guard search.