ANKARA 

At least 37 people have been rescued after a boat carrying 45 Syrian refugees capsized southeast of the Greek island of Crete, Turkish authorities said on Friday.

The boat sank at 9.10 p.m. local time (1800GMT) on Thursday in the search and rescue area of Turkey due to severe weather conditions, the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry said in a statement.

It was sailing to Italy before it ran out of fuel, the statement also said.

In a separate statement, the National Defense Ministry said a search and rescue operation was carried out by the Turkish Navy, including two frigates -- TCG Gelibolu and TCG Gokova -- and a plane.

While the refugees were rescued, eight could not have been found despite efforts, said the ministry.