Athens, May 26, (dpa/GNA) – Three migrants have died off the Greek island of Mykonos, after a boat capsized and at least ten people were still missing on Friday.
The Greek coast guard said two migrants, had been rescued from the sea. The search operation was ongoing, involving coast guard helicopters and boats, as well as passing boats and ships, a spokesman told state radio.
The migrants are said to have set off from Turkey’s Aegean coast on Thursday.
Exactly how many people were on board the boat remained initially unclear, as the two rescued migrants gave different figures, local media reported.
There are often strong winds in the sea area around Mykonos which can prove highly dangerous for small boats.
Smugglers repeatedly try to bring people from Turkey across the eastern Mediterranean in small boats, in order to reach the European Union, often via Greece.
However, many of these attempts end in disaster, due to the weather and unseaworthy, overcrowded vessels. UN figures show at least 326 people died in the region last year, though the true figure is thought to be significantly higher.
GNA