Greece: 12 migrants drown off Samos and Lesbos, including a baby
In two separate incidents, migrant boats capsized during coast guard pursuits. Off Lesbos, a speedboat collided with a patrol vessel.
Archive image · Photo: Costis Stefanou / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (cropped and resized)
At least 12 migrants died on Monday in two separate incidents off the Greek islands of Samos and Lesbos. According to the coast guard, a speedboat was first detected travelling at high speed in Turkish territorial waters before entering Greek waters. About 3.7 nautical miles north of Samos, it capsized after a sharp manoeuvre. Five men and one woman died, and 14 men were rescued.
Off the southeastern coast of Lesbos near Agrilia, a speedboat carrying migrants collided with a coast guard patrol vessel during a pursuit and overturned. Six people died, including a baby. Eight survivors, including two children, were taken to hospital in Mytilene. The coast guard said the boat was travelling without navigation lights. Shipping Minister Vassilis Kikilias said preliminary findings indicated the speedboat's bow struck the left side of the patrol vessel. The circumstances are under investigation. Two suspected boat operators were arrested.
"Smugglers are putting migrants in grave danger," said Migration Minister Thanos Plevris. In February, at least 15 migrants died off Chios after a collision with a patrol vessel. According to the EU Agency for Asylum, EU countries received 332,000 applications for international protection in the first half of 2026 – 17% fewer than a year earlier.