Eight migrants drown after boat tries to evade Greek ship

At least eight people, including a child, have drowned after a speedboat carrying migrants capsized in the Aegean Sea during a chase with a Greek patrol boat.

The coast guard said the boat’s driver “lost control” in an attempt to escape the patrol boat.

The ship was traveling at high speed and collided with the side of a Greek coast guard ship as it tried to escape, local media reported.

So far, 18 people have been rescued from the sea, the coast guard said, and many of the survivors suffered injuries following the incident.

Friday’s incident occurred near the island of Rhodes, off the Turkish coast, on a route frequently used by migrant smugglers.

A helicopter and coast guard boats continue the search for more survivors.

Greece’s Transport Minister Christos Stylianides expressed his “deepest sorrow” at the loss of life and said his goal was to fight “ruthless” human traffickers who sacrifice lives for profit.

Thousands of migrants trying to reach Europe by boat die every year in the Mediterranean.

last month Eight people, including six children, were recovered after the sinking of a migrant boat off the Greek island of Samos.

So far this year, more than 50,000 migrants have arrived in Greece by boat, making it the second most used European migration route, only behind Italy.

Migrant arrivals had been steadily declining since August 2023, but have increased again since the summer. according to data of the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.

Around 180,000 migrants arrived in Europe by sea this year, according to agency figures, while 2,000 people were dead or missing. About 23% of arrivals were children.