Late Friday, at least 13 people died after a migrant ship capsized in the Aegean Sea, and at least 27 people died in three accidents involving migrant ships in Greek waters.
At the time of the shipwreck, smugglers Turkey In Italy, it avoided a large number of patrols by Greek patrols on the eastern Aegean islands, which have been at the forefront of the country’s immigration crisis for many years.
The Coast Guard said that 62 people were rescued after a sailboat capsized 8 kilometers (5 miles) from Paros Island in the central Aegean Sea late Friday. The survivors told the Coast Guard that there were about 80 people on board.
Authorities said that five Coast Guard patrol boats, nine private boats, a helicopter and a military transport plane continued to search for more survivors at night, and Coast Guard divers also participated.
Turkish smugglers are increasingly filling yachts with immigrants and refugees and sending them to Italy.
Earlier, a sailing ship was confirmed dead on a small rocky island near Antikythera about 235 kilometers (145 miles) south of Athens on Thursday, killing 11 people. The Coast Guard said on Friday that 52 men, 11 women and 27 children were rescued after spending several hours on the island.
“People need safe alternatives to avoid these dangerous border crossings,” the UNHCR office in Greece said in a tweet.
In another incident on Friday, after a yacht ran aground in southern Peloponnese, Greek police arrested three people for smuggling and detained 92 immigrants.
The search took place for the third day in the central Aegean Sea, where there was a ship carrying migrants Sunk near Folegandros Island, Killed at least three people. Another 13 people were rescued, and survivors reported that at least 17 people were missing. Authorities said the passengers originally came from Iraq.
Greece is a popular entry point for people fleeing conflict and poverty in Asia, the Middle East and Africa to enter the European Union. However, after Greece extended the separation wall at the Turkish border and began intercepting incoming ships carrying migrants and refugees, the number of arrivals dropped sharply in the past two years-a strategy that has been criticized by human rights organizations.
According to UNHCR data, as of December 19, more than 116,000 asylum seekers have crossed the Mediterranean to reach EU countries this year.According to the agency, 55% of people go to Italy, 35% go to Spain, and 7% go to Greece, The rest went to Malta and Cyprus.
