2 migrants found dead, 57 rescued off Greek island
The migrants reached shore on Monday night amid bad weather and high winds in the Aegean Sea, a coastguard spokesperson said, adding that another person was also believed missing.
Greece was at the frontline of a migrant crisis in 2015 when more than 1 million people, mostly Syrian refugees, crossed from Turkey by sea. Flows dropped significantly before rising again last year. (Reuters)
The search and rescue operation was launched after a patrol boat from the EU border agency Frontex spotted a distressed migrant boat off Lesvos late on Monday. Due to adverse weather conditions, they were unable to approach the vessel.
The two bodies, reportedly belonging to a man and a woman, were taken to the General Hospital of Mytilene, the island’s capital, for a forensic examination. The rescued migrants were transferred to the Kara Tepe facility.
According to migrant accounts, one additional passenger was missing. They reported that this person jumped into the waters following the vessel’s collision with rocks near the shore.
An investigation is ongoing.
