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| Greek Coast Guard Saves 240 Migrants After Their Boat Capsizes | Greek Coast Guard Saves 240 Migrants After Their Boat Capsizes |
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| ATHENS — Mounting one of its biggest rescue operations in the Aegean Sea this year, the Greek Coast Guard on Wednesday saved some 240 migrants after a large wooden smuggling boat capsized in high winds off the Greek island of Lesbos, killing three people, including two children. The search continued late into the night in a bid to find more survivors. | ATHENS — Mounting one of its biggest rescue operations in the Aegean Sea this year, the Greek Coast Guard on Wednesday saved some 240 migrants after a large wooden smuggling boat capsized in high winds off the Greek island of Lesbos, killing three people, including two children. The search continued late into the night in a bid to find more survivors. |
| “It’s a big wreck; we don’t often see this,” a Coast Guard official on Lesbos said by telephone, noting that most boats dispatched by smugglers from Turkey to Greece carry “40 or 80 people.” | “It’s a big wreck; we don’t often see this,” a Coast Guard official on Lesbos said by telephone, noting that most boats dispatched by smugglers from Turkey to Greece carry “40 or 80 people.” |
| “We’ve seen boats with 160 or 170 but that’s rare,” he added. Inflatable dinghies have been the smugglers’ preferred vessel up to now. The official refused to speculate on whether the type of vessel used this time and the number of passengers aboard marked a new tactic by the smugglers. | “We’ve seen boats with 160 or 170 but that’s rare,” he added. Inflatable dinghies have been the smugglers’ preferred vessel up to now. The official refused to speculate on whether the type of vessel used this time and the number of passengers aboard marked a new tactic by the smugglers. |
| The wooden vessel flipped over in near gale-force winds about 4 in the afternoon, the official said. A Coast Guard boat sent out an alert and was joined by a helicopter, another Greek vessel and a boat belonging to Frontex, the European Union’s border-monitoring agency. | The wooden vessel flipped over in near gale-force winds about 4 in the afternoon, the official said. A Coast Guard boat sent out an alert and was joined by a helicopter, another Greek vessel and a boat belonging to Frontex, the European Union’s border-monitoring agency. |
| “It was bad weather; thankfully we had boats nearby and the response was quick,” said the official who spoke on customary condition of anonymity. | “It was bad weather; thankfully we had boats nearby and the response was quick,” said the official who spoke on customary condition of anonymity. |
| The three people confirmed dead were a man and two boys, a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old. No details were available about their country of origin. | The three people confirmed dead were a man and two boys, a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old. No details were available about their country of origin. |
| In total, eight migrants died on Wednesday in attempts to cross the Aegean from Turkey, according to the Greek Shipping Ministry, which cited four separate wrecks: two off Lesbos and two off Samos, another Greek island. Of the eight dead, six were children. | In total, eight migrants died on Wednesday in attempts to cross the Aegean from Turkey, according to the Greek Shipping Ministry, which cited four separate wrecks: two off Lesbos and two off Samos, another Greek island. Of the eight dead, six were children. |
| The dramatic day at sea added to a grim catalog of deaths in the Aegean, which remains a popular crossing point for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing strife or otherwise seeking a better life. The worsening weather did not appear to have deterred the migrants, or those who arranged their passage in vessels that are often dangerously overcrowded and unseaworthy. | The dramatic day at sea added to a grim catalog of deaths in the Aegean, which remains a popular crossing point for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing strife or otherwise seeking a better life. The worsening weather did not appear to have deterred the migrants, or those who arranged their passage in vessels that are often dangerously overcrowded and unseaworthy. |
| The spread of the conflict in Syria and growing fears that more Balkan countries will close their borders to migrants seeking to travel to Northern and Western Europe appears to have spurred the latest wave of migration. On Wednesday, Austria said it was planning to erect a fence along its border with Slovenia. | |
| Although there are no exact figures for drownings in the Aegean, the Greek Coast Guard issues daily reports on migrants who have been found dead or reported missing. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 3,000 people have died or are missing after crossing into Europe this year, but that figure includes migrants who enter the European Union through other countries, like Italy. | Although there are no exact figures for drownings in the Aegean, the Greek Coast Guard issues daily reports on migrants who have been found dead or reported missing. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 3,000 people have died or are missing after crossing into Europe this year, but that figure includes migrants who enter the European Union through other countries, like Italy. |
| With more than half a million people arriving in Greece so far this year, the authorities acknowledge being overwhelmed and have appealed for European Union support. | With more than half a million people arriving in Greece so far this year, the authorities acknowledge being overwhelmed and have appealed for European Union support. |
| At Sunday’s summit meeting in Brussels on the refugee problem, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras agreed to host 50,000 refugees by the end of the year, in collaboration with the United Nations refugee agency. According to the agreement, another 50,000 migrants are to be hosted in other European Union and Balkan countries. | At Sunday’s summit meeting in Brussels on the refugee problem, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras agreed to host 50,000 refugees by the end of the year, in collaboration with the United Nations refugee agency. According to the agreement, another 50,000 migrants are to be hosted in other European Union and Balkan countries. |
| In cash-strapped Greece, which is still struggling to revive its economy, the authorities are scrambling to find facilities to accommodate thousands of migrants. Sports venues used for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens are among the options being considered. The migration minister, Yiannis Mouzalas, has emphasized in recent days that Greece will not become “a large concentration camp for refugees,” noting that the Greek authorities had rejected calls by European officials for the creation of a large camp in the Greek capital. |