A vessel carrying more than 800 Jewish refugees bound for Palestine has sunk or been grounded near the small island of Sirini about 50 miles from Rhodes in the Dodecanese group, it was learned here today and at least eight of the passengers have been lost.
A Jewish Agency spokesman said that the remainder of the immigrants are safe on the island, but need emergency supplies of food, clothing and water. Royal Air Force bombers will take off at dawn to parachute supplies to the stranded refugees. The Agency is also planning to send a rescue expedition.
The spokesman expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the RAF and the Palestine Government, which has radioed the British embassy in Athens to speed aid to the immigrants.
The first news of the ship’s plight was picked up by the Haganah radio, which usually keeps in touch with all vessels bound for Palestine.
A report from Cyprus says that two thousand Jews, mostly in family units, will move tomorrow from the Caraolos camp, where they have been housed since their deportation from Palestine, to special winter camps built for them near Larnaca during the past few months.
The new camp, which is expected to shelter about 6,000 visaless immigrants by the end of the year, is arranged in five separate communities each accommodating 2,100 persons. Each has a medical clinic for children and special facilities for expectant mothers.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
