by Maria Spiliopoulou
ATHENS, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Greece's Coast Guard has launched on Wednesday a search and rescue operation for a boat carrying some 300 refugees after it issued a distress call in the sea off the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece.
A passenger called the Italian Coast Guard which alerted Greek authorities, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.
Some vessels sailing nearby have joined the efforts to locate the boat amidst difficult weather conditions.
A wet front with heavy rain and strong winds has hit Greece in the past few hours.
Earlier on Wednesday, three elderly people were found dead in the city of Kalamata and its suburbs in the Peloponnese peninsula, which was hit by flash floods.
