Sixteen migrants killed in Aegean boat accident

At least 16 migrants were killed on Friday when their boat capsized in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of the Greek island of Paros. This has been announced by the Greek coast guard, Reuters news agency reported. It is the third fatal boat accident off the Greek coast this week.

The migrants are believed to have been en route from Turkey to Italy. The Greek authorities conducted a search and rescue operation with ships and helicopters after the boat capsized. The bodies of twelve men, three women and a child were recovered. There may be more deaths to be regretted.

Greek minister lashes out at people smugglers

About eighty people were on the boat. It is not clear what caused the vessel to capsize. Greek Shipping Minister Giannis Plakiotakis blamed people smugglers for the recent boat disasters. “They don’t care about human lives and stuff dozens of people without life jackets into vessels that don’t even meet the most basic safety standards.”

At least 11 people died in an earlier accident on Friday when their boat sank. Ninety others were rescued. Dozens of migrants went missing in the sinking of a boat in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. It is feared that they have drowned.