Officials in Greece say that four people died and 18 have been rescued after a boat carrying migrants sank just northeast of the Greek island of Lesbos near the coast of Turkey.
The coast guard reported that it has picked up dozens of people from bots in the Aegean Sea islands as migrants try to cross to Greece, Fox News reports.
According to the United Nations, more than 14,000 people have reached Greece this year. In 2022, that number was 19,000.
In comparison, about 104,000 have made it to Italy so far this year.
In June, a fishing boat carrying migrants capsized and sank just off the coast of Greece. Some 78 people were declared dead, and 104 were rescued from the waters.
Alarm Phone, a network of activists that provides a hotline for migrants in trouble, meanwhile, said it was contacted by people on a boat in distress.
In one communication with Alarm Phone, migrants reported the vessel was overcrowded and that the captain had abandoned the ship on a small boat. They asked for food and water, which was provided by a merchant ship.
Officials believed the boat was heading to Italy from eastern Libya. Many have tried to flee the country since an uprising killed longtime autocrat Mohammad Gadhadi in 2011.
Human rights groups have argued that the Greek and Mediterranean governments have not moved quickly enough to save survivors when migrant boats capsize in the water.
They’ve also claimed that many illegal summary deportations are carried out for migrants without allowing those migrants the chance to apply for asylum.
Related:
Smugglers Arrested after Hundreds of Pakistanis Die, Go Missing in Migrant Ship Sinking
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Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
