Crew airlifted to safety after Honduras-flagged cargo ships takes on water

The crew of a Honduras-flagged cargo ship was airlifted to safety Sunday after being stranded near the southeastern Aegean island of Tilos, authorities said.

The five crew members of the Moby Dick _ two Germans, two Filipinos and one Pole _ were taken by helicopter to the nearby island of Rhodes, the merchant marine ministry said.

The Moby Dick, which was carrying construction material from the Black Sea port of Odessa to Beirut, in Lebanon, sent out an emergency signal after it began to take on water, 25 nautical miles west of Tilos. Weather conditions in the area were reported to be good. Other details were not immediately available, AP reported. V.A.