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ATHENS, Greece (AP) — At least seven people have died, including
two children, after a boat carrying migrants from Turkey to a
nearby Greek island capsized, Greece's coast guard said
Thursday.
A search and rescue operation off the northern coast of the
island of Lesbos recovered the bodies. The coast guard said 23
people have been rescued.
Reporting on what appeared to be the same sinking, Turkey's
state-run media said the incident was attended by the Turkish
coast guard after a rubber dinghy sank in the Aegean Sea between
the Turkish mainland and Lesbos. Those rescued were taken to a
hospital and the search continued, Anadolu news agency said.
Weather in the area was reported to be good, and it was unclear
what had caused the boat to overturn early Thursday morning.
There was no immediate information on the total number of people
who had been on the boat, their nationalities, or the type of
vessel they had been using.
A sea and land search and rescue operation was continuing, with
three coast guard vessels, an air force helicopter and a nearby
boat searching for potential further victims.
Greece is one of the main entry points into the European Union
for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East,
Africa and Asia, with many making the short but often
treacherous journey from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek
islands in inflatable dinghies. Many are unseaworthy or set out
in bad weather, and fatal accidents have been common.
The Greek government has cracked down with increased patrols at
sea, and many smuggling rings have shifted their operations
south, using larger boats to transport people from the northern
coast of Africa to southern Greece.
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