ATHENS: A boat carrying more than 50 migrants sank off the Greek coast, killing a woman and a boy and leaving three others missing, the coast guard said on Sunday.
“Fifty migrants have been rescued and are being cared for by the authorities,” a spokeswoman said.
“A rescue operation with a coast guard vessel is underway, and a team of rescuers and divers is expected later today,” she said.
Strong winds were hampering search and rescue operations, Greece’s public broadcaster ERT reported. The incident occurred off the island of Ikaria, which lies close to Türkiye’s western coast—a well-known departure point for migrants attempting the dangerous sea crossing into the European Union.
In addition to routes from Türkiye, many migrants also undertake the much longer and riskier journey from Libya to Crete in southern Greece.
These crossings are frequently undertaken in overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels, often operated by smuggling networks, making them especially deadly during periods of rough weather.
Such perilous journeys regularly end in tragedy. In early December, 17 people were found dead after their boat sank off the coast of Crete, while 15 others were reported missing. Only two passengers survived that incident.
According to the UN refugee agency, at least 107 people died or went missing off the Greek coast in 2025. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimates that around 33,000 migrants have died or disappeared in the Mediterranean since 2014, underscoring the continued human cost of irregular migration routes into Europe.
