Lesvos: 57 migrants found, 2 bodies recovered, one person missing

Greek authorities on Tuesday located 57 migrants and recovered the bodies of two individuals on a rocky shore along the northeastern coast of Lesvos in the eastern Aegean. One person was said to remain missing.

The search and rescue operation was launched after a patrol boat from the EU border agency Frontex spotted a distressed migrant boat off Lesvos late on Monday. Due to adverse weather conditions, they were unable to approach the vessel.

The two bodies, reportedly belonging to a man and a woman, were taken to the General Hospital of Mytilene, the island’s capital, for a forensic examination. The rescued migrants were transferred to the Kara Tepe facility.

According to migrant accounts, one additional passenger was missing. They reported that this person jumped into the waters following the vessel’s collision with rocks near the shore.

An investigation is ongoing.

Greece found itself on the front lines of a migrant crisis in 2015 when over 1 million people, primarily Syrian refugees, crossed from Turkey to the European country by sea. While migrant flows significantly decreased afterward, they have seen a resurgence this year.