Three children are among four have drowned after a boat carrying migrants sinks off Greece.
The boat was carrying 27 migrants from Turkey to Greece, according to the Greek coastguard.
One person of four dead is still missing, while the 22 others were rescued following the incident.
The incident on Tuesday occurred off the Greek island of Chios, in the Aegean Sea. There were strong winds at the time, the coastguard said in a statement.
“The boat in question had sailed from the Turkish coast loaded with a large number of passengers. This fact, in combination with the adverse weather conditions, led to the detachment of the hull,” the coastguard said. It noted that none of the passengers was wearing a life jacket.
Migrants from Algeria or Morocco, who sometimes come from other African countries, are increasingly trying to cross the western Mediterranean to reach Spain.
A total of 10,701 migrants arrived on Spain’s southern coast and the Balearic Islands between 1 January and 13 September, which is 1,680 more than in the same period last year, according to the latest figures from the Spanish interior ministry.
According to the United Nations’ migration agency, more than 1,100 people fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East have died this year in the Mediterranean.
War-torn Libya has been the dominant transit point for thousands of migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa. Thus, the were seeking a new hope in the European continent.
Thousands leave Libya yearly towards Europe. Many of them die on the journey.
Since the start of the year, over 10,000 migrants returned to Libya in 2021, while at least 180 migrants travelling died.
Hundreds are still missing so far this year.
