ATHENS: At least five migrants died, and 54 others were rescued in two separate incidents of migrant boats at the coast of Greece, officials said on Monday.
The first incident occurred around 3:00 am (0000 GMT) near the island of Samos, close to the Turkish border. Prompt action from the coastguard led to the rescue of 37 people, sadly including one woman who had lost her life, as confirmed by government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis and the coastguard.
Approximately four hours later, tragedy struck again as another boat met the same fate near the Greek island of Lesbos. Four migrants, including an eight-year-old boy and three girls aged 11 months, eight years, and 14 years, died in the unfortunate incident, reported by Marinakis.
Migrants Arrival in Greece
Statistics provided by the government revealed that August saw 1,100 arrivals in Greece, compared to 789 in July and 608 in June. The first eight months of the year have witnessed a significant influx of 10,790 migrants, a stark comparison to the 5,216 recorded during the corresponding period in the previous year.
Earlier in June, an overcrowded fishing trawler carrying around 750 individuals picked up in Libya, tragically sank near Greece. While approximately 100 were rescued, Greek sources estimate that around 600 lives were lost in the tragedy.
