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Two women, child missing when boat sinks off Lesvos; 10 people rescued

Two women and one child have been missing and ten people were rescued when a rubber dinghy carrying migrants from Turkey to Greece sank off the northern coast of the island of Lesvos on Friday morning.

According to state broadcaster ERT, a patrolling boat of the Greek Coast Guard got aware of the boat-wreck when it spotted a man swimming towards the coast around 5:30 in the morning. He was rescued by the Coast Guard.

A search and rescue operation was launched and led to the rescue of another nine people. However, two women and one child are reportedly still missing early Friday afternoon.

Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis told the Parliament that the dinghy appeared to have sunk inside the Turkish territorial waters and blamed Turkey for allowing the dinghy to leave its western coast.

The Coast Guard said that the survivor they picked up was swimming into the Greek territorial waters.
Turkish authorities have been informed about, however, there was no reaction, the Coast Guard said.

In the SAR participated Greek Coast Guard and Frontex vessels, a Super Puma helicopter and an aircraft  as well as a commercial vessel sailing nearby.

The survivors have been taken to an isolation facility on Lesvos as provided by the health protection measures against the coronavirus.

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One comment

  1. The murderous barbaric Turkish coast guard swamped the boat from its waves killing women and a child is what happened here.

    Turkey has the traditional shameless nerve to lie about who is responsible yet again for the deaths at Evros or fires in Turkey while calling others untrustworthy in today’s news. The challenged script never changes.

    In this modern world, justice usually meets corrupt autocrats who feel that they can defy law and cost innocent lives with lies.