A migrant boat from Turkey overturned in the Aegean Sea on Wednesday, resulting in two deaths and two disappearances, according to port police.
The boat was an inflatable dinghy that hit the rocks of Agios Georgios, east of Lesbos island, around 3:00 am local time (0100 GMT), pushed by strong winds.
Out of the 36 migrants on board, 32 were saved by the coast guard and local fishermen, while 14 of them made it to the shore on their own.
The coast guard is still looking for the 16 missing migrants, but the search is hampered by a sailing ban due to bad weather.
Lesbos is one of the main destinations for migrants who want to enter the European Union, often taking dangerous journeys on overcrowded and unsafe boats.
Greece has reinforced its patrols in the Aegean Sea with the help of the EU’s border agency Frontex, but the migrant flows have not stopped.
In June, a boat with hundreds of migrants on board sank off the coast of Pylos in the Peloponnese, killing 82 people and leaving hundreds of others missing.
Survivors of that incident have filed a group law suit against the Greek authorities for negligence and violation of human rights.
By Salam Bustanji
