Greece's coastguard on Thursday rescued 85 illegal immigrants - among them women and children - off the Greek island of Astypalaia in the south-eastern Aegean Sea, dpa reported. The immigrants, who had been attempting to enter Greece from neighbouring Turkey, had issued a distress call after the vessel in which they were travelling encountered hail and strong winds, officials confirmed. Four coast guard vessels, one Hellenic Navy frigate and two cargo ships formed a rescue operation that lasted all night. The nationalities of the immigrants were not immediately clear.
