A cargo ship carrying hundreds of migrants off the coast of a Greek island sent a distress signal early Tuesday, indicating armed people are onboard, Reuters reported.
Greek officials said a ship with a Moldovan flag named Blue Sky M sent the distress signal off the island of Corfu. Over 600 passengers are believed to be onboard the ship located in the Ionian Sea.
"The Blue Sky vessel is sailing in the high seas and issued a distress call. It is assumed it is carrying a big number of illegal migrants," an unnamed ministry official told the Wall Street Journal. "There are also reports there are some armed men on board, but there are no more details for now."
However, according to the tracking website Marine Traffic, the ship was headed for a port in Croatia when it suddenly changed course south of Othonoi and went towards Italy, the BBC noted.
A navy frigate, a helicopter and coastguard vessel have been dispatched to the area, Greek officials told the WSJ.
The navy frigate is the same boat dispatched to the area to help rescue passengers aboard the Norman Atlantic, a ferry that caught fire Sunday in the area en route to Italy from Greece, USA Today reported. Ten passengers were killed and over 450 were rescued.
