Shipwreck of migrants off the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. The Greek coast guard said this morning that it had rescued 20 people from a boat that sank and reports ongoing searches of several other alleged missing people near the island of Chios, in difficult weather conditions. Four children drowned after the boat they were on sank.
"Tragically, despite the best efforts of the Hellenic Coast Guard, four children - all between the ages of three and 14 - have died, 1 person is still missing while another 22 have been rescued and treated," wrote the Minister of Migration. Greek, Notis Mitarachi, in a tweet.
The Hellenic coast guard said that among the 22 migrants rescued near the island of Chios there are 14 men, 7 women and another child.
The boat had sailed from Turkey in the midst of strong winds and none of the migrants were given a life jacket by the traffickers.
"The Turkish authorities must do more to prevent exploitation at source by criminal gangs. These trips should never be allowed," Mitarachi added.