Athens, Nov. 23, (dpa/GNA) – At least one migrant drowned after a dinghy sank off Rhodes early on Monday, a Greek coastguard official told dpa in Athens.
The coastguard was still searching for several people who had been on the vessel, which set off from the Turkish coast, the official said.
A local broadcaster showed the halfway-submerged rubber boat in the waves and said that at least 10 people made it to the shore of the island. It was not immediately clear how many were missing.
The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR registered 9,342 arrivals on Greek Aegean islands between the start of the year and November 15.
That marks a massive drop from the 59,726 who reached the islands in all of 2019.
The decline is partially attributable to the coronavirus pandemic. However, Turkish policies that have restricted movement, as well as tougher Greek policies, including increased border patrols, have also made crossings harder.
GNA