Four dead, 18 rescued as migrant boat sinks near Lesbos

ATHENS: Four individuals have tragically lost their lives, while 18 have been successfully rescued following the apparent sinking of a migrant boat to the northeast of the Greek island of Lesbos, near the Turkish coast, according to Greek authorities.

The coast guard confirmed that 18 survivors were collected by one of its vessels, alongside four individuals who were found unconscious. All of them were subsequently transported to the main port of Mytilene on the island.

During the past weekend, the coast guard reported the interception of numerous people from boats near the islands in the eastern Aegean Sea, reflecting a notable increase in migrant arrivals over the past two months.

Greece has long been a favored entry point into the European Union for individuals escaping conflicts or poverty in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, in pursuit of better prospects within Europe.

Current United Nations data indicates that more than 14,000 people have reached Greece via both land and sea routes this year. This figure constitutes around a tenth of the overall successful Mediterranean crossings. The majority of these arrivals, approximately 104,000, have been directed towards Italy. The total migrant arrivals in Greece for the entirety of 2022 amounted to 19,000.

In a significant event this June, a weathered fishing trawler carrying an estimated 500-750 people sank in international waters off southwestern Greece while en route from Libya to Italy. Tragically, only 104 survivors were located. Greek authorities faced significant criticism for their alleged failure to evacuate the vessel in a timely manner.

The surge in migrant crossings since then has been attributed by the government to improved summer weather conditions and smugglers exploiting heightened Aegean small boat activity during the tourist season.

Following the peak of Europe’s migration crisis in 2015, when nearly a million individuals entered Greece with the aim of moving northward to wealthier European nations, Greece intensified patrols along both its sea and land borders with Turkey to counteract such arrivals.

Despite these measures, accusations of illegal summary deportations carried out by the government on individuals arriving without the opportunity to apply for asylum have emerged, vehemently denied by the government itself, yet challenged by human rights groups and the migrants affected.