Eighteen rescued after 98ft British yacht sinks off Greek island of Milos
- British-flagged 98ft yacht overturned off the northwest coast of Milos, Greece
- Naval vessels, a helicopter, and an air force helicopter assisted rescue efforts
- All 18 Greek nationals onboard were rescued after the boat sank on Wednesday
All 18 on board a British tourist yacht that sank off the Greek island of Milos this morning has been rescued.
Three naval vessels, two ships, a private vessel, a navy helicopter and an air force helicopter assisted the rescue operation, the coast guard said.
The passengers and crew - all Greek - were picked up from the sea by a passenger boat, a cargo ship and a launch and taken back to the island's main port.
A 58-year-old man suffered a head laceration and was taken to a local health centre for checks along with the rest of the passengers and crew. A coastguard spokeswoman said 'as far as we know', all are in a 'healthy' condition.
Officials received an SOS signal from the boat this morning after it overturned 16 miles off the northwest coast of Milos between the islands of Antimilos and Falconera.
Coastguard spokesman Nikolaos Kokkalas said all passengers, including three children who were on board, were picked up from the Aegean Sea in winds of between four and five on the Beaufort scale.
The passengers and crew - all Greek - were picked up from the sea by a passenger boat, a cargo ship and a launch and taken back to the island's main port.
The British flagged tourist boat sank off the Greek island of Milos (pictured)
The circumstances of the accident were not immediately known but it is thought the tourists were on board a British-flagged 98ft yacht.
Mayor of Milos, Manolis Mikelis, said: 'We have information for 17 people, we are in the process of collecting people from the sea.
'At the moment there is wind in the area and it is making a lot of waves, we were told about a yacht. With every reservation, the boat has been overturned.'
Milos is a popular destination for British tourists, boasting statues of Greek god Asclepius, Apollo, Poseidon and Aphrodite.
Officials received an SOS signal from the boat this morning after it overturned 16 miles off the northwest coast of Milos
