Eighteen migrants drowned when the boat capsized about 40 kilometers south of the Greek island of Chrysia, while two people were rescued and transferred to Crete, an unnamed Coast Guard official said.
The boat first spotted a Turkish cargo ship, which then informed the Greek authorities.
Greece was on the front line of the 2015–16 migration crisis, when more than a million people from Africa and the Middle East arrived in Europe. Although migration flows later declined, last year saw a sharp increase in boats, mostly from Libya, targeting Crete, Gavdos and Hrisia.
Fatal accidents are still common.
(Vijesti.ba)
