ATHENS: Greek coast guards said Sunday rescuers had found the body of a man and dragged to safety 28 other people on a migrant boat in distress off the island of Crete.

Maritime police launched an emergency rescue late Saturday after the boat issued an alarm signal, with winds of 40-50 kilometers (25-30 miles) an hour making sea conditions difficult, the coast guard said.

The survivors, all reportedly Sudanese, were picked up by another boat sailing nearby, then transferred to a police vessel and taken to the port of Heraklion on Crete, the agency said.

Crete has become a key destination for undocumented migrants crossing the Mediterranean.

On Wednesday, 59 people were reported missing after their boat capsized off the island, according to a 23-year-old Bangladeshi man who survived. No bodies have yet been found.