Seventeen Dead, Over 140 Rescued as Refugee Boats Capsize Near Greece

A total of 17 people have died off the Greek coast in the last two days as their boats capsized in the eastern part of the Aegean Sea, local media reported Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The first boat, with over a hundred migrants on board, overturned near the islands of Kalymnos and Kalolimnos on Thursday evening, according to the Greek Protothema newspaper.

The Greek coast guard dispatched a Super Puma helicopter and four ships to the scene, namely a Frontex vessel and three fishing boats, to conduct a rescue operation.

The rescuers have managed to save 138 people, while 14 others have died, the news outlet reported.

A separate incident occurred near the island of Rhodes on Friday. The tragedy claimed the lives of three people, while three others have been declared missing. The newspaper added that six refugees were rescued.

Greece is a transit country for refugees from the Middle East and North Africa, fleeing poverty and violence.

Since the beginning of October, over 68,000 migrants have crossed into Greece, with the vast majority, or almost 42,000, arriving on the island of Lesbos, according to the International Organization for Migration.