Four children dead after migrant boat sinks in Aegean Sea

ATHENS

Four children died and 22 others were rescued after a boat carrying irregular migrants sank off the coast of Chios, a Greek island located a couple of sea miles away from the Turkish mainland.

Greek officials announced that one person was still missing after the incident which was the latest in a string of similar tragedies that claimed the lives of migrants en route to Europe.

Greece’s Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said the ages of the deceased children ranged from three to 14, while the Greek Coastguard noted that among the 22 people rescued in rough seas were 14 men, seven women and another child.

In a statement earlier, the authorities had said 27 people were thought to be inside the boat, according to the survivors.

Patrol boat vessels are participating in the search, along with two helicopters, a German NATO-mission military ship, and three fishing vessels.

According to the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, over 2,500 people have crossed the Aegean Sea from Turkey this year, compared to over 9,700 in 2020.

Over 100 people died or are missing in migrant boats that sank last year, the agency’s data show.