A boat that sank off a Greek island while smuggling migrants or refugees left at least 14 people dead Saturday, while a search and rescue operation was ongoing to locate more people believed missing.
The wooden boat was believed to have been carrying around 21 people when it sank for reasons that were not immediately clear off the coast of the eastern Aegean island of Agathonisi, the coast guard said. Three people - two women and one man - managed to swim to the coast and alert authorities.
A massive search and rescue operation involving aircraft, the Greek navy and coast guard and a vessel from the European border agency Frontex was underway in the area.
The six bodies initially recovered included four children, one man and a woman, while the bodies of a further eight people were recovered southeast of Agathonisi later Saturday morning. The coast guard did not immediately have a breakdown on how many were adults or children.
Despite a two-year deal between the European Union and Turkey designed to stop the flow of migrants and refugees into Europe using the popular route from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands, dozens and sometimes hundreds of people continue to make the journey each week. Most cross in rickety inflatable boats or other unseaworthy vessels.
"The latest tragedy at Agathonisi underlines in the worst and saddest way that human life cannot depend on the interests of smugglers, nor on the 'policies' of states," Migration Minister Dimitris Vitsas said in a written statement.
Vistas said that while all efforts were currently focused on the search and rescue operation, "it is clear that the solution is in (providing) measures for the protection of people" and in providing safe procedures for refugees and migrants while also cracking down on smuggling rings.
AP
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