Seven individuals, among them two children, lost their lives when a vessel transporting migrants from Turkey to an adjacent Greek island overturned, according to statements made by Greece’s coast guard.
A search and rescue mission along the northwestern coast of Lesbos led to the recovery of several bodies.
The coast guard reported that 23 individuals have been saved.
Turkish media reported on what seemed to be an identical sinking incident, stating that the Turkish coast guard responded after a rubber boat capsized in the Aegean Sea, located between the Turkish coastline and Lesbos island.
The individuals who were rescued were transported to a medical facility, while the search efforts persisted, according to the state-owned Anadolu news agency.
The weather conditions in the region were reportedly favorable, but it remained uncertain as to what led to the boat capsizing early Thursday morning.
No prompt initial data was available regarding the overall count of individuals aboard the boat, their countries of origin, or specifics about the kind of craft involved.
Marine and terrestrial search and rescue efforts are ongoing, involving three coast guard ships, an air force helicopter, and a proximate vessel scouring the region for possible additional survivors.
Greece serves as a primary gateway into the European Union for individuals escaping conflicts and economic hardships in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Many undertake the brief yet frequently perilous voyage from the Turkish shoreline to neighboring Greek islands using makeshift rafts.
A lot of them are not seaworthy or depart during poor weather conditions, leading to frequent deadly incidents.
The Greek authorities have intensified maritime surveillance through more frequent patrols. As a result, numerous trafficking networks have redirected their activities further south, employing bigger vessels to ferry individuals from North Africa’s northern shores directly into southern Greece.