A migrant boat capsized in the Aegean Sea late Friday, killing at least 13 people and adding to the toll of as many as 27 people killed in three different accidents in Greek waters. Earlier this week, 11 persons were confirmed dead after a sailboat collided with a rocky islet in Antikythera. After spending hours on the islet, the coast guard rescued 90 people, including 52 men, 11 women, and 27 children.
In a second incident on Friday, three persons were arrested on smuggling charges and 92 migrants were seized after a yacht came aground in the southern Peloponnese. A search effort in the central Aegean, where a boat carrying migrants sank near the island of Folegandros, killing at least three people, continues for the third day.
Around 80 people were on board, according to those who were rescued. According to the coastguard, they were on their way to Italy from Turkey. For migrants fleeing conflict and poverty in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, Greece is a favourite entrance point into the European Union.
However, in the last two years, numbers have plummeted after Greece built a wall along the Turkish border and began stopping arriving boats carrying migrants and refugees, a policy that has been criticized by human rights groups.
According to the UNHCR, more than 116,000 asylum seekers crossed the Mediterranean to reach EU countries this year as of December 19. According to the CIA, 55% travelled illegally to Italy, 35% to Spain, and 7% to Greece.
(Source: Google)
