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ARCHIVE - Several migrants have died in a boat accident in the strait between Turkey and the Greek island of Lesbos. Photo: Panagiotis Balaskas/AP/dpa
Keystone
Two migrants have died while trying to reach Greece from Turkey. Three more people are still missing, according to the Greek coastguard. According to the report, 50 refugees reached the coast of the Greek island of Ikaria. According to the authorities, the accident occurred on Saturday.
The exact cause of the accident is still unclear. According to the coastguard, citing statements from survivors, the boat hit rocks off Ikaria, causing some of the migrants to fall into the water. According to the coastguard, one of the victims was a child. The body of a woman was also recovered.
According to local media reports, a boat from the European border protection agency Frontex as well as several coastguard boats and fishermen from the island are taking part in the search operation for the missing persons.
According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, around 42,000 migrants reached the Greek islands in the eastern Aegean and Crete, and thus the EU, by sea last year. The UNHCR recorded 107 deaths in the eastern Mediterranean last year. According to official information from the Greek Coast Guard, however, the number of unreported cases is believed to be significantly higher.
25.01.2026, 14:14
