AT LEAST 62 people were feared dead after a ferry carrying more than 500 passengers and crew sank in the Aegean Sea.

Emergency services said at least 40 people had been killed but the search continued today for another 22 who were on board and are still missing.

There are thought to have been a number of Britons on the ferry Express Samina when it sank one-and-a-half miles from the Greek island of Paros.

Two Hampshire-based warships on exercise in the area raced to the scene to aid the rescue operation.

Portsmouth-based HMS Liver-pool was first on the scene and aircraft carrier HMS Invincible, also based in Portsmouth, scrambled three helicopters.

At least two Britons were among survivors, found clinging to rocks and winched to safety by helicopters from Invincible.

Invincible's commanding officer Captain Rory McLean, said: "We were able to spot 12 people on a very small outcrop of rock, which was half-submerged in water. We were able to winch them all to safety. Sadly, there are still a lot missing.''

The Express Samina, which had 511 passengers and crew on board, hit rocks in winds of up to 35 knots, ripping a hole in its hull.

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