Four confirmed dead in Samos migrant boat tragedy

Greek authorities on Tuesday (September 24) confirmed the deaths of four people after a migrant boat accident near Samos.

The small vessel was thought to have been carrying at least 30 people, according to Greek state-run ERT television and the medical charity, Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

Citing the Greek coast guard, the Kathimerini newspaper reported later in the day that 26 people had managed to reach the shore while rescue workers searched for them at sea.

With the exception of one man who was arrested as a suspected smuggler after other passengers identified him, the migrants were taken to the reception center on the island.

With the exact number of people on board the dinghy unknown, a search for survivors – involving coastguard vessels, a helicopter and a diver – continued on Tuesday afternoon. A coast guard official said strong winds in the area were hampering the operation.

There was no immediate information on the identities or nationalities of the survivors and the dead, nor was it clear what exactly had caused the boat to sink.

Also read: Smugglers force migrants off speedboats in Aegean to avoid arrest, Greek coast guard claims

‘Shocked and outraged’

The tragedy happened in the early hours of Monday off the northwest coast of Samos, which is one of the Greek islands located closest to the Turkish shore, from where migrant boats often depart for Greece or Italy. The boats regularly get into difficulty and deaths often result.

Authorities continue to investigate where the migrants involved in Monday’s accident were trying to reach when the boat apparently ran into trouble. According to local officials, the alarm was raised by a resident who heard screams and cries for help from the sea.

Sonia Balleron, the head of the Greece mission for MSF, said her organization was “shocked and outraged” by the sinking and was providing emergency support to the survivors.

“These deaths are the tragic consequence of inhumane migration policies,” Balleron said in a statement. 

Also read: Sea rescue not a pull factor, says Frontex chief

with AFP, AP, Reuters, dpa, KNA