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Distress call from ship with 600 passengers because of 'armed men' on board near Corfu | |
(35 minutes later) | |
A distress call has been issued from a cargo ship believed to be carrying hundreds of people off the coast of Corfu, amid fears armed men are on board. | |
A passenger is believed to have called an emergency number for help from their mobile. Official distress calls are usually made from a ship radio. | |
The alarm was raised because of suspected armed people on board, Greek state television reported, claiming that "illegal immigrants" were on the ship. | |
Officials said a Greek frigate and a navy helicopter were heading to help the Moldovan-flagged Blue Sky M, which is believed to be carrying about 600 migrants. | |
It was sailing in poor conditions near the island of Othonoi, north-west of Corfu when the call was made. | |
Marine Traffic's track of Blue Sky M's route shows a sharp turn "We have information that it is carrying suspected migrants. It is sailing off Corfu," a shipping ministry official said. | |
The Marine Traffic tracking website lists the ship's last known port as Korfez, Turkey, and its destination as Croatia, but its record of the ship's movements shows a sharp turn to the west, towards Italy. | |
The incident comes two days after a Greek passenger ferry caught fire in the same area, leading to a massive rescue operation by Italian and Greek coastguard and military officials. | |
At least 10 people died in that incident and more than 400 were rescued. Authorities are still searching for potential missing passengers from the Norman Atlantic ferry. | |
Additional reporting by Press Association and Reuters | Additional reporting by Press Association and Reuters |