Twelve Migrants Die in Aegean Sea Boat Incidents

Twelve migrants died on Monday while attempting to cross the Aegean Sea, including six whose bodies were recovered after their boat collided with a police patrol vessel.

A coast guard official told AFP that a baby and four women were among the six people who died near the Greek island of Lesbos. Eight others were rescued following the collision.

The official said a speedboat carrying migrants had struck the port side of a police patrol vessel.

In a separate incident near the island of Samos, another six migrants died when their small boat capsized. The victims included five men and a woman.

Rescuers saved 14 people from the boat, including a person suspected of organising the journey from Turkey.

The Aegean Sea remains a frequently used route for migrants seeking to travel from Turkey to Europe. However, the crossing carries significant risks, and many people have died while attempting the journey.

The latest deaths add to a series of fatal incidents involving migrant boats in the region.

In September, one person died and 25 others remained missing after a boat carrying migrants sank near Gavdos, an island close to Crete.