Athens [Greece], January 26: A child and a woman were killed when a boat carrying more than 50 people from Turkiye to Greece crashed into rocks off an island in the Aegean Sea, the Greek coastguard said on Sunday, citing survivors.
Another three people are still missing, while 50 migrants on the boat were able to reach the Greek island of Ikaria, which is located about 60 kilometres west of the Turkish coast, it said.
The exact circumstances of the tragedy remained initially unclear, but survivors told the coastguard that the vessel hit rocks near Ikaria on Saturday, causing several people to fall into the water.
A vessel operated by the EU border agency Frontex as well as local fishing boats have been taking part in the efforts to locate those missing, local media reported.
According to the UN's refugee agency UNHCR, some 42,000 migrants reached the Greek islands by boat last year. A total of 107 people were killed in the eastern Mediterranean in the attempt to reach the EU, according to UNHCR figures. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune
