A boat carrying hundreds of refugees in the Mediterranean has capsized and sunk near Crete. Four migrants were reported dead by Greek officials on Friday. The Independent reports: Around 340 people have been rescued so far, with four bodies recovered, but more were feared to remain missing south of the Greek island of Crete. “The number of people in distress could be counted in the hundreds,” a spokeswoman for the coastguard told the AFP news agency. “People are in the water, boats crossing the area have thrown lifebuoys and are moving to save the migrants.” The coast guard said the 80ft vessel, believed to be a fishing boat, was found sinking by a passing ship around 75 nautical miles south of land on Friday. Greece sent two patrol boats, a military plane and three helicopters to the area, while five ships that had been sailing nearby were participating in the rescue operation. It was not immediately clear where the smuggling vessel had launched from, with Turkey, Egypt and Libya among the most likely possibilities. It was believed to be heading for mainland Greece or Italy. The coast guard said 242 survivors were being taken to Italy on a merchant ship, while others were being transported to Egypt, Turkey [...]