Sixteen drown en route to Greece as migrant raft capsizes

At least 16 people, including two children, drowned in the narrow strait separating Turkey from the Greek island of Lesbos, after a migrant boat sank, Greek authorities said Monday.

The incident left two survivors, from Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo, including a pregnant woman. The latter informed Greek authorities that there had been between 20 and 25 people on board, and that the boat had capsized on Sunday night after it left the Turkish coast.

Greece’s coast guard said the bodies of nine people — six women, two men and a child — had been recovered from Greek waters off the island of Lesbos, while Turkish authorities found the bodies of a further six men and a child in Turkish waters.

Vessels and helicopters from Greek authorities and Europe’s border patrol agency Frontex were participating in a search-and-rescue operation, while private boats were also helping in the effort. 

The alert was raised Monday morning by a Greek navy vessel that spotted bodies in the water.

Hundreds of people have died since 2015 trying to cross from Turkey to Greece.

The numbers dropped dramatically from March last year, after Turkey and the EU agreed a deal to stem the flow of people. But there are fears that numbers attempting the crossing could begin to rise again if the deal is affected by nose-diving relations between the two sides.

"The number of people crossing the Aegean to Greece has dropped drastically over the past year, but this tragic incident shows that the dangers and the risk of losing one's life remains very real," Philippe Leclerc, Greece representative for the UN's refugee agency UNHCR, said.

Just over 4,800 people have crossed to Greece from Turkey this year, according to UNHCR data. An average of 20 arrive on Greek islands each day.