In 2015 nearly 1 million people landed on its islands.
ATHENS, April 3 (Reuters) – At least eight migrants died, including one 2 boys, girl and three women, when their boat sank on Thursday off the Greek island of Lesvos, Hellenic‘s coastguard said.
23 migrants have been rescued
The boat was carrying migrants from Turkey detected by a Hellenic patrolling coastguard vessel at about 2 a.m. (2300 GMT) north of Lesvos.o far 23 migrants have been rescued and a search and rescue operation was still ongoing, a coastguard official said. Turkish authorities reported what appeared to be a separate sinking in the same area, with nine people dead
1 million people
It was not immediately clear how many people may have been on the boat Greece, in the southeast corner of the European Union, has long been a favoured gateway to Europe for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In 2015 nearly 1 million people landed on its islands.
The two accidents
The two accidents reportedly occurred several hours apart in the narrow stretch of the Aegean Sea between the Greek island of Lesvos and the Turkish coast, with both sides unaware of the other nation’s rescue efforts.
The survivors
The survivors were taken to a migrant camp on the island. The search and rescue operation continued into Thursday afternoon as the exact number of people who had been on board the dinghy was unclear.Weather in the area was reported to have been good. The nationalities of those on board were not immediately known.
Deployed three boats and a helicopter
Separately in Turkey, the Canakkale governor’s office said the Turkish coast guard received an emergency call for help from a migrant boat and deployed three boats and a helicopter.
54,000 migrants reached Greece
Last year, about 54,000 migrants reached Greece, the second largest number in southern Europe behind Italy. and more than 7,700 crossed Greece’s small land border with Turkey, according to figures from the U.N. refugee agency. There were 125 people reported dead or missing.The vast majority of them arrived by sea
By March 30
By March 30, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said there had been just over 8,000 people arriving in Greece by sea and 755 by land since the start of 2025.
Source : Reutrs + Other sources
