Rescuers were searching for dozens of people still missing after two boats carrying migrants capsized in Greek waters late on Wednesday. At least 15 people were confirmed dead.
After a dinghy carrying about 40 people sank, the coast guard reported that 15 dead had been found close to the Lesbos island in the eastern Mediterranean. . The five people that were saved included three of the five who were discovered on a rocky outcrop close to where the ship sank.
Near the island of Kythira, several hundred kilometres to the west, where a sailboat carrying about 100 migrants hit rocks and drowned late on Wednesday, a second rescue effort was launched.
After that boat ran aground near the east coast of the island’s tiny port of Diakofti, authorities reported that 30 passengers had been saved. Up to 45 mph winds were present in the area.
“We could see the boat colliding with the rocks, and we could see people scrambling up the rocks to attempt to escape.” It was an incredible sight, local resident Martha Stathaki told The Associated Press. To try to assist, “all the locals came down to the harbour.”
Fire protection Rescuers lowered ropes to assist refugees as they scaled seaside bluffs. Local authorities announced that a nearby school would be opened as a place for the rescued to stay. The arrival of Navy divers was also anticipated for Thursday.
The majority of migrants entering Greece come from the neighbouring country of Turkey, but smugglers have shifted their tactics recently in an effort to escape the heavily monitored waterways around the Greek islands that border Turkey.
Kythira is located around 250 miles west of Turkey on a path that smugglers frequently use to skip Greece and travel straight to Italy.
