Greece: Sailboat carrying 75 migrants safely towed to port

A sailboat carrying dozens of migrants that had sent a distress signal in rough weather off the southern tip of mainland Greece has been safely towed to port, Greece’s coast guard said Friday. There were no reports of any injuries or missing people.
The coast guard said, a broad search and rescue operation was launched after the boat issued the distress call while sailing around 3 nautical miles (3.4 miles, 5.5 kilometers) south of Cape Maleas in the southern Peloponnese region.
The vessel was safely towed to a nearby port early Friday morning and was found to have been carrying 75 people — 69 men and six women. Authorities did not have any immediate information on the passengers’ nationalities, where the boat had set sail from or what its intended destination was.
Thousands of people fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa, Asia and the Middle East attempt to enter the European Union through Greece each year.