Greece: One woman presumed dead as 17 are rescued near Lesbos

A Greek coastguard spokeswoman on Sunday (October 5) told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency that the migrants had been sighted near the remains of their shipwrecked boat at sea.

“They said there was a woman in the water. She was found after a search by coast guard vessels and a Frontex helicopter, and sent to the Plomari health centre (in Lesbos),” the spokeswoman added.

“I believe she’s dead, but we are expecting a formal announcement from the health centre,” the spokeswoman explained at the time of giving the statement, highlighting that Frontex had assisted Greek officials in the recovery and transportation of the body.

The Greek news platform Ekathimerini meanwhile reported that the woman’s death has been confirmed.

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Greece: Asylum freezing following increase in arrivals

Greece’s proximity to Turkey as well as to North Africa has meant that for over a decade, the country in the southeast of Europe has remained at the epicenter of the EU’s challenges with irregular migration.

More recently, the route from North Africa — especially Libya — to the southern Greek island of Crete and other southern islands has witnessed a comparably sharp increase in arrival numbers compared to previous years, as well as a relative rise in deaths at sea.

Among the more recent tragedies, the bodies of a man and a girl were recovered on the shores of Rhodes in August.

Greece hardened its migration policies in recent months to stem irregular arrivals, halting the processing of new asylum claims in overcrowded parts of the country, chiefly Crete. Recent reports indicate that the number of arrivals has decreased. However, the asylum freeze has been met with skepticism, with critics saying it constitutes a violation of fundamental rights.

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The government is hoping to introduce further laws to make irregular immigration and migrant smuggling less attractive. These include a new law, which was approved last month, that will enable migrant detention for up to two years for irregular entry.

The same law also stipulated that people can be sent to prison for up to five years if they are subsequently caught staying in Greece without legal papers. Under the law, those placed on deportation lists will be required to wear ankle monitoring tags to limit their flight risk.

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