In a statement made by Greek state television ERT: It was stated that the migrant boat carrying 68 people, which set off from Izmir in Turkey, sank off the coast of Eğriboz Island.
Greek Coast Guard spokesman Nikos Kokkalas said that the teams rescued 9 immigrants and that the search and rescue efforts for the missing immigrants continue.
The Greek Coast Guard reported that 1 ship, 1 helicopter and 2 boats participated in the search and rescue efforts. In the statement, it was noted that the passengers on the boat were from Afghanistan, Iran and Egypt.
Greek Coast Guard Explodes Refugee Boat
- On 12 November 2015, the rubber boat containing refugees was sunk by the Greek Coast Guard. While the Greek Coast Guard teams, who exploded the rubber boat, were quickly leaving the area, approximately 58 asylum seekers were rescued by the Turkish Coast Guard teams at the last moment.
- Greek Coast Guard teams sank a refugee boat carrying 27 immigrants on January 20, 2014, killing 11 people. Relatives of the deceased family went to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and complained about Greece. The ECHR found Greece guilty of push-backs. The ECHR was sentenced to pay 330 thousand euros in compensation to Greece for the incident in which 11 people lost their lives.