The Greek Coast Guard has found the bodies of eight migrants – six minors and two women – who drowned near the island of Samos in the Aegean Sea.
In addition to the deceased, the Greek police found 36 people alive in the northern part of Samos, and three people who were stranded in a rocky area on the island were rescued by coast guard personnel.
The search and rescue operation involved aircraft and vessels.
According to a coast guard spokesperson, authorities were alerted to the incident by a non-governmental organization, and it is estimated that around 50 people were aboard the vessel that had transported them from Samos.
Greece, located in the southeastern part of the European Union, has long been a favored gateway into Europe for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
In 2015-2016, more than a million people crossed from Turkey to the remote eastern islands of Greece. Many of them drowned while attempting the dangerous journey in unfit boats.
Later, the number of arrivals decreased before rising again last year.
This year, approximately 54,000 migrants have arrived in Greece, the second-highest figure in Southern Europe after Italy. The vast majority of them arrived by sea, according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
