Nine including six children die in Greece migrant shipwreck

ATHENS — Nine migrants, including six minors and two women, died on Monday after two boats sank in separate incidents in the Aegean Sea, the Greek coastguard said.

The coastguard said nearly 40 people had been rescued on Samos island and a search for survivors was ongoing amid strong winds.

"The shipwreck in Samos, with eight innocent lives lost, including 6 children, fills us with sadness and anger," Migration Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos wrote on X.

"The coastguard rescued 9 people but the smuggling rings, these ruthless criminals who trade human lives, will confront us with determination to eradicate them."

The incident occurred north of the island of Samos, a route frequently chosen by people smugglers.

On the island of Lesbos, the body of a man was also found by the coastguard, who rescued 26 people.

The survivors said there were no other passengers on board, a statement by port authorities said.

Greece has seen a 25-per cent uptick this year in the number of people fleeing war and poverty, with a 30-per cent increase alone to Rhodes and the south-east Aegean, according to the migration ministry.

Several similar accidents have occurred in past weeks, the last in early November when four people died near the island of Rhodes.

In late October, two people died near Samos. Four more, including two infants, lost their lives near the island of Kos a few days earlier.