Six rescued after patrol boat sinks off Lesbos, Greece

Six people were rescued after a patrol boat sank in the Aegean Sea just off Greece's Lesbos Island on Monday, July 14.

The Portuguese-flagged vessel, which was operated by the European Union's border and coast guard agency Frontex, had just assisted in a search and rescue operation in the same area when it crashed into some rocks near the village of Petra at around 18:00 local time on Monday.

The vessel's six occupants had already abandoned ship and were adrift in an inflatable liferaft when a Hellenic Coast Guard patrol boat arrived in the area to render assistance.

The six occupants of the Portuguese patrol boat have been identified as one Greek and five Portuguese nationals. They were all later brought to the Port of Mithymna on Lesbos with no serious injuries reported.

Two passenger vessels, a fishing boat, and a Hellenic Air Force helicopter had also diverted to the area to assist in the rescue effort.