Twelve people die after migrant boat sinks off Greek island of Paxos

·

Twelve migrants have been found dead in the Ionian Sea and 21 others have been rescued after their boat took in water and sank.

The deaths and sea rescues happened south-west of the Greek island of Paxos, a coastguard spokesperson said on Saturday. “The initial report is that 50 people were in the boat,” he said.

The coastguard said someone from the boat had called the 112 emergency number at 9.15am on Saturday. At least four merchant ships, six coastguard ships and a helicopter are searching for survivors amid calm seas.

The tragedy happened hours before a second boat sank in the region. Eleven migrants, including eight children, died after their boat capsized off Turkey’s western coast, state-owned Anadolu agency said.

Eight others were rescued from the sea near the town of Çeşme, on the Aegean coast, it said.

In separate incidents that illustrated other routes and methods used by Europe-bound migrants, authorities in North Macedonia said that 62 migrants were discovered hidden inside freight trains at the border with Greece.

Border control teams that included officers from North Macedonia, Austria and the Czech Republic found 42 migrants during a routine inspection of a freight train in the town of Gevgelija on Friday. Thirty-eight of the migrants were from Morocco, police said.

Later Friday, another multinational team of officers discovered 20 migrants o from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Morocco and Algeria, in another freight train at the Gevgelija station.

All 62 migrants, including five minors, were taken to a detention centre pending deportation to Greece.

Sourced via The Guardian.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Tens of thousands without power as storm batters NSW

Tens of thousands of New South Wales residents are facing severe disruption following a night of wild weather.

Trump claims Israel has agreed to 60-day Gaza ceasefire deal

US President Donald Trump has stated that Israel has accepted the terms of a proposed 60-day ceasefire in Gaza.

Maria Sakkari advances to Wimbledon second round with straight-sets win

Maria Sakkari is through to the second round of Wimbledon after defeating Russian opponent Anna Blinkova 6-4, 6-4 in 78 minutes on Court 8.

Is chaos a strategy? My unplanned plan to moving overseas

Book the ticket. Pack your logic (and walking shoes). And if you're lucky, a stranger in a hostel might just become a lifelong friend.

Melbourne mum Debbie Voulgaris breaks silence from Taiwanese jail

Debbie Voulgaris has broken her silence from a Taiwanese prison, speaking out for the first time since her 2023 arrest for drug smuggling.

You May Also Like

Greek-Vietnamese war hero passes away aged 94

Greek-born WWII veteran Kostas Sarantidis was honoured with the title of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces of Vietnam.

These two Greek islands managed to flourish during tough 2020 tourist season

The stunning Greek islands of Skyros and Serifos managed to gain a surplus or levelled with the previous year's tourism income.

New leadership elected for the Hellenic Club of Canberra

The Hellenic Club of Canberra has announced its newly elected Board of Directors for the 2024/2025 term, marking a new chapter.