The Greek coast guard informs at least 43 people travelling from Turkey lost their lives in two incidents after migrant boats sank in the Aegean Sea off two Greek islands overnight. At least 17 of those killed were children.
The Greek coast guard informs at least 43 people travelling from Turkey lost their lives in two incidents after migrant boats sank in the Aegean Sea off two Greek islands overnight. At least 17 of those killed were children.
A boat carrying 49 people overturned on Friday morning off the small islet of Farmakonisi. "Forty-one of the passengers were rescued, but eight bodies, including those of six children, were recovered from the sea", reports The Wall Street Journal.
In the second incident, a sailboat sank off the islet of Kalolimnos. The Greek authorities said they have rescued 26 people, but not all the migrants were found. The Wall Street Journal says the total number of people who were on board remains unclear, as survivors’ estimates varied from 50 to 70.
"They weren't wearing life jackets, I don't understand," a local fisherman who tried to help rescue migrants told Reuters.
According to BBC, more than 700 died in the Aegean crossing from Turkey to Greece. At least another 100 have died in the Aegean this year.
