By Canadian Press

More than a dozen migrants die as boats sink off Greece and Turkey

Apr 3, 2025 | 6:31 AM

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A boat carrying migrants from Turkey to a nearby Greek island sank Thursday morning, leaving at least seven people dead, including three children, Greece’s coast guard said. Turkish authorities reported what appeared to be a separate sinking in the same area, with nine people dead.

The two accidents reportedly occurred several hours apart in the narrow stretch of the Aegean Sea between the Greek island of Lesbos and the Turkish coast, with both sides unaware of the other nation’s rescue efforts.

Greece’s coast guard said a dinghy carrying migrants began taking on water and 23 people were rescued and the bodies of three women, two boys, one girl and one man were recovered.

The survivors were taken to a migrant camp on the island. The search and rescue operation continued into Thursday afternoon as the exact number of people who had been on board the dinghy was unclear.

Weather in the area was reported to have been good. The nationalities of those on board were not immediately known.

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Separately in Turkey, the Canakkale governor’s office said the Turkish coast guard received an emergency call for help from a migrant boat and deployed three boats and a helicopter.

The statement said that nine bodies had been recovered and the search for one missing person continued, while 25 people were rescued.

Greece is one of the main entry points into the European Union for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, with many making the short but often treacherous journey from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands in inflatable dinghies or other small boats. Many are unseaworthy, or set out in bad weather, and fatal accidents have been common.

The Greek government has cracked down with increased patrols at sea, and many smuggling rings have shifted their operations south, using larger boats to transport people from the northern coast of Africa to southern Greece.

Last year, more than 54,000 people used what has become known as the eastern Mediterranean route heading to Greece, and more than 7,700 crossed Greece’s small land border with Turkey, according to figures from the U.N. refugee agency. There were 125 people reported dead or missing.

By March 30, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said there had been just over 8,000 people arriving in Greece by sea and 755 by land since the start of 2025.

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Wilks reported from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece contributed to this report.

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Follow AP’s global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration

Elena Becatoros And Andrew Wilks, The Associated Press