Migrant Boat Capsizes During Evasion Attempt, Eight Drown

A speedboat transporting migrants overturned in the Aegean Sea, resulting in the drowning of at least eight individuals, among them a child. This incident occurred during a pursuit involving a Greek patrol vessel. The coastguard reported that the boat’s operator “lost control” while attempting to evade the patrol ship. Local media accounts indicate that the vessel was moving at high speed and struck the side of a Greek coastguard vessel as it sought to escape. To date, 18 individuals have been saved from the water, according to the coastguard, and numerous survivors sustained injuries following the event. The occurrence on Friday took place close to the island of Rhodes, near the Turkish coastline, along a passage frequently utilized by migrant traffickers. A helicopter and coastguard vessels are still engaged in the search for additional survivors. Christos Stylianides, Greece’s shipping minister, conveyed his “deepest sorrow” regarding the fatalities, stating that his objective is to combat the “ruthless” human traffickers who jeopardize lives for financial gain. Annually, thousands of migrants attempting to reach Europe by sea perish in the Mediterranean. Last month, eight individuals, including six children, were retrieved after a migrant vessel submerged off the Greek island of Samos. This year, over 50,000 migrants have reached Greece via boat, establishing it as the second most frequented European migrant pathway, surpassed only by Italy. Data from the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, indicates that migrant arrivals had been consistently decreasing since August 2023 but have seen an increase again since the summer. Agency statistics reveal that approximately 180,000 migrants have arrived in Europe by sea this year, with 2,000 individuals reported dead or missing. Children constituted about 23% of these arrivals. This content is copyrighted by BBC in 2024. All rights are reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for material found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.