A night search operation is underway at the scene.
In Greece, at least 13 people died as a result of capsizing the third boat with migrants in three days in the Aegean Sea.
This is reported by The Guardian.
It is noted, that the incident took place late in the evening on Friday, December 24, eight kilometers from the island of Paros. According to the coast guard, 62 passengers of the sailing ship were rescued.
The survivors said that there were about 80 people on board. Currently, a night search operation is underway at the scene with the participation of divers, five coast guard boats, nine private ships, a helicopter and a military transport aircraft.
On Thursday, about 235 km south of Athens, the sailboat crashed into rocky islet, which killed 11 people. Another 52 passengers, including 11 women and 27 children, were rescued “after several hours on the island.”
And on Friday, a boat with Iraqi migrants sank near Folegandros at least three people, and another 13 were saved. At least 17 people are missing.
The publication notes that smugglers from Turkey are increasingly sending migrants and refugees fleeing conflicts and poverty in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, to Italy through Greece on overcrowded boats.
This year, according to the UNHCR, more than 116 thousand people in search of asylum crossed the Mediterranean Sea to get to the EU countries. Of these, 55% went to Italy, 35% to Spain, 7% to Greece, and the rest to Malta and Cyprus.
