Migrant shipwreck death toll rises to 28
Greek authorities say they have found the body of another victim from last week’s shipwreck of an overloaded migrant smuggling boat in the western Aegean Sea, bringing the confirmed death toll to 28.
The coast guard said Thursday the body of a man was found on a beach on the southern coast of the island of Evia, which lies just east of the Greek capital. The dead include five children, while a further 28 people are still listed as missing.
Twelve people, all men, survived the Nov. 1 sinking of the sailing boat, which survivors said had set sail from Izmir on the Turkish coast with 68 people on board. The vessel ran into trouble in rough seas in the notoriously treacherous strait between Evia and the island of Andros, capsized and sank.
Two of the survivors were later arrested on suspicion of having skippered and crewed the vessel, and face charges of migrant smuggling.
The sinking was the latest in a series of deadly migrant shipwrecks in Greek seas in recent months that have left dozens dead or missing.
Tens of thousands of people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Asia and Africa try to make their way into the European Union each year via perilous sea journeys, with most attempting to reach Greece or Italy.
