Eighty migrants were rescued from the sea on Wednesday after their boat capsized off the coast of the Peloponnese in southwestern Greece, during a relief operation carried out by the Greek authorities, according to the Coast Guard.

"Since early Wednesday morning, a large-scale rescue operation has been underway off Pylos when a fishing boat with a large number of migrants on board capsized," a coast guard statement said.

The Greek authorities have not yet determined the number of migrants.

"So far, 80 migrants have been rescued from the sea and they will be taken to the port of Kalamata in the southern Peloponnese," a spokeswoman told AFP.

The sinking occurred in international waters, 47 nautical miles from Pylos in the Ionian Sea, according to the spokeswoman.

In addition to the port police patrol boats, a frigate from the Hellenic Navy, an aircraft and helicopter from the Air Force and six boats navigating in the area participated in the rescue operation.

Winds of about 12 km/h were blowing in the area.

Preliminary information provided by the authorities indicated that the migrants' boat had set sail from Libya, heading to Italy.

Greece is located in the southeastern Mediterranean at the external borders of the European Union and is a destination for people fleeing war and poverty, coming from Asia, Africa or the Middle East and wishing to reach northern European countries.

A number of drowning incidents were recorded, most of them in the Aegean Sea separating Greece and Turkey, while Athens is often accused of “illegally” blocking migrant boats.

Along with this route, migrants also attempt to cross directly into Italy by crossing the Mediterranean Sea in the southern Peloponnese or Crete.