Greece: 151 migrants rescued from yacht in gale force winds

Greece’s coast guard says a rescue operation was launched overnight after a yacht carrying more than 150 migrants was found in distress in b wear rast of Aegean island of Amorgos.

coast guard said Wednesday a nearby cargo ship picked up 151 people from yacht during search and rescue operation Tuesday evening, in which coast guard and Greek navy vessels also participated.

A witness on board Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo ship said y saw one person swimming away from yacht, but gale force winds in area were hampering any furr search and rescue operations Wednesday morning, coast guard said.

It said cargo ship was transporting migrants to Turkey.

Thousands of people fleeting war or poverty in Middle East, Africa and Asia arrive on Greek islands each year in an attempt to make ir way into European Union. Most make ir way to islands near Turkish coast in small inflatable dinghies. But Greek authorities have said y have ticed a recent trend of smugglers using larger vessels — yachts or sailboats — to ferry people to Italy.