A man and the two boys were found drowned and an extensive search was under way in the area after what was thought to be the largest maritime disaster off Greece in terms of numbers involved since a massive refugee influx began this year.
Coast guards and local residents assisted the migrants off the vessel after it arrived at the port of Molivos on Lesbos.
Inflows have increased recently as refugees are trying to beat the onset of winter, crossing the narrow sea passages between Turkey and Greece on overcrowded small boats.
jpost.com by Reuters
29/10/15
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About seven children were killed as boats carrying migrants sank off Greece on Wednesday...
ReplyDeletePatrol vessels, fishing boats and even locals on jet skis joined in efforts to search into the night for more survivors in the water. Port police said it was not clear how many people might be in the water, with survivors giving a confusing picture of the number of people who were on the boat that capsized off Lesbos. All the rescued migrants are now headed to Italy, the Italian coastguard said.
http://www.ubalert.com/fPcc
Hope wanes for refugees missing in Aegean Sea...
ReplyDeleteAt least 11 people - mostly children - have died in five separate incidents in the eastern Aegean Sea, as thousands of people continue to head to the Greek islands from Turkey in frail boats and stormy weather.
Authorities on the Greek island of Lesbos said 38 people were believed still missing after a wooden boat carrying refugees sank on Wednesday evening. Three people are known to have died, including two small boys.
At first light on Thursday, a helicopter from the European border protection agency Frontex joined the search by Greek coast guard vessels off the northern coast of the island, hours after the dramatic rescue of 242 people.
Al Jazeera’s John Psaropoulos, reporting from Lesbos, said the death toll was likely to rise.
"Authorities now believe there are very few chances that in these cold October waters - these deep waters between Greece and Turkey - anyone would have survived overnight.
"Two of the survivors told me last night that the sinking of the overcrowded boat occurred when the upper deck collapsed on the lower deck. This caused a large shift in weight which then caused the wooden vessel to capsize."
Dramatic rescue
Lesbos has borne the brunt of the refugee crisis in Greece, with more than 300,000 reaching the island this year - and the number of daily arrivals recently peaking at 7,500.
In a dramatic scene late on Wednesday, dozens of paramedics and volunteers helped in the effort to assist the survivors, wrapping them in foil blankets and prioritising ambulance transport.................http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/10/refugees-missing-aegean-sea-151029101549458.html
20/10/15