Seven migrants, including two children, drowned when a boat carrying migrants sank near the Greek island of Lesbos. The Greek Coast Guard, with assistance from the Turkish Coast Guard, rescued 23 migrants from the sea, while border guards recovered the bodies of the victims. The rubber boat, which had departed from Turkey en route to Greece, capsized in the Aegean Sea near Skala Sikamineas, located between Turkey and Lesbos, with 31 irregular migrants on board.
According to the Anadolu news agency, the survivors were taken to the hospital as Greece initiated a wide search operation for additional survivors. The effort includes four ships from the Greek Border Guard, an air force helicopter, and a boat near the accident site, all working to locate eight possible victims.
The sea is calm, according to meteorological reports, with a north wind blowing at 3 on the Beaufort scale. Preliminary information suggests that a reconnaissance helicopter revealed the rubber boat capsized due to the collapse of its wooden floor and a collision with a rocky area.
The migration route from Turkey to Greece has seen numerous similar incidents, the most recent being the tragic sinking of a boat near the Greek island of Rhodes last December, which resulted in the deaths of eight migrants and the rescue of 18 others. The incident occurred after the boat’s captain attempted a dangerous maneuver to evade the Greek Coast Guard, causing the migrants to fall into the water.
In December 2024, another tragic boat sinking occurred near the Greek island of Gavdos, resulting in the deaths of 35 Pakistani migrants. The Pakistani embassy later confirmed that 47 Pakistanis had been rescued following the Greek Coast Guard’s operation. According to the embassy in Athens, three rubber boats carrying a total of 175 migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, and Sudan capsized near the Greek coast.
The Greek Coast Guard successfully rescued all passengers from two of the boats, while only 39 migrants were saved from the third boat, which had 83 passengers on board.
The sea route between Greece and Turkey is a major path for migrants and asylum seekers fleeing poverty and conflict in search of a better life in the European Union. Despite the short distance, the journey is extremely dangerous due to the use of unseaworthy rubber boats, particularly in adverse weather conditions.
