(ANSAmed) - ATHENS, JUNE 20 - Six migrants have been arrested by Port Authority officials on the Greek island of Mykonos on Monday following a shipwreck of a sailboat off the coast of the uninhabited island of Delos in the Aegean Sea.
    The six men were rescued from a boat that was found rudderless and leaking water in near gale force winds on Sunday, and they were all later charged with the illegal transportation of third country nationals, causing a shipwreck, and forming a criminal organization.
    The Greek Coast Guard dispatched three rescue vessels and a tugboat on Sunday after receiving reports that a sailboat was adrift off the coast of Delos close to Mykonos. Early on Sunday morning, rescue teams managed to tow the sailboat to an islet off the nearby island of Mykonos.
    The migrants on board — 63 men, 24 women and 21 children — were safely transported to Mykonos, while eight people were declared missing, according to the Port Authority. The rescued migrants told the authorities that their boat had sailed from Turkey to an unknown destination.
    According to the coast guard, none of the migrants on board were wearing a life vest, nor was there any life-saving equipment on board, while on Monday afternoon, the coast guard was still searching for the eight missing passengers, of which three are reportedly minors.
    Greece's Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis commented on the incident via his Twitter account, saying: "8 migrants missing and 104 rescued in the Cyclades from a sailing boat that left Turkish shores for Europe. Turkey can do a better job, working with the EU & Greece to protect human lives & eradicate smuggling networks, in line with international law and the EU-Turkey 2016 statement." Mitarakis also added details of another rescue mission which took place close to the island of Rhodes.
    "Another 56 migrants rescued by the Greek coastguard yesterday in Rhodes from a sailing boat that also left Turkish shores for Europe, despite the Turkey-EU 2016 Joint Statement. We continue to save lives daily - those of people exploited and put at risk by smugglers," he commented.(ANSAmed). (ANSA).