Dramatic rescues as boats sink off Greece, 16 dead and dozens missing
- Search and rescue operations under way after a pair of unrelated boating accidents in Greek waters
- Tragedy occurred amid a heated spat between Greece and Türkiye over the safety of migrants at sea
Residents of a Greek island pulled shipwrecked migrants to safety up steep cliffs in dramatic rescues after two boats sank in Greek waters, leaving at least 16 people dead and dozens still missing.
The coastguard said the 16 bodies – all of young African women – had been recovered overnight near the eastern island of Lesbos after a dinghy carrying about 40 people sank.
Nine women were rescued, while 15 other migrants were believed to be missing, coastguard officials said.
“The women who were rescued were in a full state of panic so we are still trying to work out what happened,” coastguard spokesman Nikos Kokkalas told state television. “The women were all from African countries, aged 20 upward. … There is a search on land as well as at sea and we hope that survivors made it to land.”
The second rescue effort was launched several hundred kilometres to the west, off the island of Kythera, where a sailing boat struck rocks and sank. Kokkalas said 80 people had been rescued while a search continued for as many as 15 still believed to be missing.
With winds in the area reaching 70km/h (45mph), Fire Service rescuers and local volunteers on Kythera lowered ropes to help migrants climb up cliffs on the seafront.
Survivors clinging to ropes were pulled to safety up steep cliffs as others were buffeted by waves as they waited their turn on tiny areas of rock at the bottom.
