Two boats carrying Syrian refugees capsized off the coast of two Greek Islands on Friday morning, AlKhaleej.com has reported. According to a Greek coastguard official, at least 42 refugees, including 17 children, drowned in the incident; 70 others were rescued.
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A full search-and-rescue operation was underway on Friday, as it was feared that there were others still missing. Fishing boats assisted in the search.
“They did not wear life jackets,” one local fisherman told Reuters. “I do not understand. They could not swim.” He explained that he had rescued three migrants but one of them, a 50-year old man, later died in his small fishing boat. “The hospital is now full of dead people,” he added.
Reuters pointed out that thousands of migrants tried to cross to Europe last year, and at least 4,000 drowned in the Mediterranean over the same period.
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