ISTANBUL, Türkiye (Kaab TV) – At least 16 people have died after two boats carrying refugees sank in the narrow sea passage between Türkiye and the Greek island of Lesbos, officials from both countries confirmed.
The incidents, which involved around 66 people in total, occurred hours apart on Thursday, with authorities on each side unaware of the other’s rescue operations.
On the Greek side, the coastguard said a patrol boat spotted a small five-meter dinghy taking on water.
Rescuers managed to save 23 people—11 minors, eight men, and four women—out of a reported 31 passengers.
During a subsequent search-and-rescue operation involving helicopters, coastguard vessels, and the European border agency FRONTEX, authorities recovered the bodies of seven victims: three women, two boys, one girl, and one man.
Rescuers continued searching for a missing young girl on Thursday evening.
Meanwhile, a 20-year-old survivor was arrested on suspicion of people smuggling after other passengers allegedly identified him as the boat’s pilot, the coastguard reported.
In Türkiye, officials in the northwestern province of Çanakkale said the coastguard responded to an emergency call early Thursday, deploying three boats and a helicopter. They rescued 25 people and later recovered nine bodies.
The search continued for one missing person. Turkish media reported that the survivors were taken to a local hospital.
Dangerous Route Claims More Lives
Shipwrecks are frequent along the short but treacherous route between the Turkish coast and Greek islands such as Samos, Rhodes, and Lesbos, key entry points to the European Union for those fleeing conflict and poverty.
Greece has intensified sea patrols in recent years, prompting smuggling networks to shift operations further south, using larger boats to transport people from North Africa to southern Greece.
According to the United Nations, more than 54,000 people traveled the eastern Mediterranean route to Greece last year, while over 7,700 crossed the country’s land border with Türkiye. A total of 125 people were reported dead or missing.