The coast guard is still searching for missing people on Wednesday after three migrants drowned in their boat that capsized off the southernmost island of Greece, Gavdos.

A coast guard official confirmed that 56 people had been rescued so far, including a person hospitalised in nearby Crete who was injured.

Another coast guard officer reported that survivors said there were more people in the boat at the time it capsized, about 15 nautical mile (28 km) from Gavdos. Four vessels and one aircraft from the European Union's border agency Frontex are searching for survivors.

In 2015-16, Greece was at the forefront of the migration crisis as more than one million migrants from the Middle East migrated to Europe.

The flow of migrants has ebbed, but Crete and Gavdos, the two Aegean Islands closest to the African coast, have seen an increase in the number of boats arriving on their shores, mostly from Libya. However, deadly accidents are still common.

The International Organization for Migration reported on Wednesday that at least 42 migrants are missing and presumed to be dead after a rubber-boat capsized last week off the coast of Libya.

The European Commission announced on Tuesday that Greece and Cyprus will be eligible to receive help when the EU's pact for migration and asylum comes into effect in mid-2026. (Reporting and editing by Renee Maltezou, Yannis Souliotis)

(source: Reuters)