A Russian warship has rescued dozens of people from a vessel which sent out a distress signal in Greek territorial waters, the Russian Defense Ministry has reported.
The incident happened overnight and involved the Admiral Gorshkov frigate, the statement said. It was escorting the Pizhma bulk carrier in the Mediterranean Sea towards the Syrian port of Tartus, when it made a diversion to assist a yacht, Avalon, which had lost propulsion.
A total of 68 people were rescued and transferred to the Russian cargo ship, the report said. The Russian convoy then sailed to the Greek island of Kalymnos to hand the rescued individuals over to the Greek coast guard.
The ministry said the yacht was sailing under the flags of Germany and Greece.
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The Admiral Gorshkov is the lead ship of its class. It was launched in 2010, commissioned in 2018 and serves as part of the Russian Northern Fleet. Last year it drew media attention after becoming the first warship armed with new hypersonic Zircon missiles.
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