Authorities in Greece say at least three people died after a boat carrying refugees and migrants tried to cross from the Turkish coast to the island of Lesvos on Wednesday morning amid northerly winds of 9 Beaufort.
The boat reached the sea area near the coast of Agios Georgios, Thermi, 10 kilometers north of the city of Mytilini, at about 03:00 in the morning, but it fell onto the rocks due to the strong winds blowing the area.
The number of missing people remains unknown so far, since two young people of African origin, a man and a woman, aged about 25 to 30 years old, were recovered dead, one more dead person has been identified and an attempt is being made to recover another one.
An injured person has been transferred to the Mytilini Hospital, while eight survivors have been transferred to the Kara Tepe Reception and Identification Center.
According to witnesses, there were a total of 36 people on board the boat. The remaining 24 passengers are reportedly hiding in the surrounding mountains, although it is possible that some of them may have fallen into the sea and drowned.
An investigation by the Coast Guard and the Greek Police is underway.
Migrant issue in Greece discussed by the EU and Mitsotakis
The latest fatal incident involving migrants in Greece comes a few days after the visit to Athens of the European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, who said that Greece has made noteworthy steps toward contemporary management of the migration issue.
In a post on social media, she said: “In Athens today where I met with PM Mitsotakis. We discussed the positive progress that Greece has made in managing migration in an orderly way, the need for more legal pathways and integration, as well as the crisis in the Middle East.”
On his part, Mitsotakis noted that “a fair migration policy does not mean open or non-existent borders, but rules.”
He pointed out that a European solution to the migration problem is needed and emphasized that the management of the problem will judge the credibility of the EU, adding that it must be proven in practice whether the EU knows how to translate its declarations into an effective policy.
He stressed that guarding its borders is non-negotiable for Greece. “An opponent of the state is anyone who is illegal,” Mitsotakis said adding that illegal migrant flows in 2023 were much smaller than in previous years and the government managed the problem much better than other European countries.
He pointed out that our country is often an intermediate station and the final goal of migrants is to go to the countries of northern Europe, stressing Greece’s role in guarding the eastern land and sea European borders.
Related: EU Reaches ‘Historic’ Migration Deal