An 8-year-old boy has been rescued after being carried out to sea by ocean currents while floating on an inflatable at Ligres Beach, in the municipality of Agios Vasileios, authorities said.
The alarm was raised around midday when the boy, reportedly a German national, was spotted drifting away from shore while on a flotation device. Greece's National Search and Rescue Coordination Center immediately notified port authorities in Sfakia, Agia Galini and Kokkinos Pyrgos, triggering the local emergency response plan.
The rescue operation involved a Coast Guard patrol vessel, a Frontex boat, the passenger tourist boat "Phoenikas" and a Coast Guard patrol vehicle on land.
A short time later, the child was located in the water and rescued by the tourist boat participating in the search.
He was safely brought back to Ligres Beach, where he was reunited with his parents, ending the ordeal for both his family and the emergency responders involved.
According to the boy's parents, he was in good health following the incident, and authorities determined that hospitalization or medical treatment was not necessary.