MOSCOW, June 19 (Reuters) - A Russian warship and cargo ship rescued 68 people overnight from a boat in the Mediterranean Sea, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday.
It said in a statement that the Admiral Gorshkov warship had been the first to receive a distress call from the Avalon, which it described as a "yacht-type vessel" flying the Greek and German flags.
The Admiral Gorshkov is one of Russia's leading warships and has been used in the past to test and deploy hypersonic missiles.
Hundreds of people, mostly from Egypt, Syria and Pakistan, are feared to have drowned in a boat capsize off Greece last week.
Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan Editing by Andrew OsbornOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Gorshkov, Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Osborn
Organizations:
Russia's Defence, Greek coastguard, Reuters, Thomson
Locations:
MOSCOW, Russian, Kalymnos, Egypt, Syria, Pakistan, Greece