Eight migrants drowned after the boat tried to evade a Greek vessel

At least eight people, including a child, have drowned after a boat carrying migrants capsized in the Aegean Sea during a chase with a Greek patrol vessel.

The Coast Guard said the driver of the boat “lost control” while trying to escape from the patrol vessel.

According to local media reports, the boat was traveling at high speed and collided with the side of a Greek coast guard vessel as it tried to escape.

So far, 18 people have been rescued from the sea, the coastguard said, with many of the survivors injured in the incident.

Friday’s incident happened near the island of Rhodes, off the coast of Turkey, on a route often used by migrant smugglers.

A helicopter and coast guard ships are continuing to search for survivors.

Greece’s shipping minister, Christos Stylianides, expressed “deep sadness” at the loss of life, saying his aim was to fight “ruthless” people smugglers who sacrifice lives for profit.

Every year, thousands of migrants die in the Mediterranean Sea trying to reach Europe by boat.

Last month eight people, including six children, were found after a boat carrying migrants sank off the Greek island of Samos.

More than 50,000 migrants have arrived in Greece by boat this year, making it the second most used migrant route in Europe after Italy.

The number of migrant arrivals has been steadily declining since August 2023, but has picked up again since the summer, according to the data from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.

About 180,000 migrants have arrived in Europe by sea this year, agency data shows, while 2,000 people have died or gone missing. About 23% of the arrivals were children.