Death toll from migrant boat off Mykonos rises to nine
May 31, 2023
Athens [Greece], May 31: Another six bodies were found four days after a boat carrying at least 17 migrants capsized off the island of Mykonos, the Greek coastguard reported on Tuesday, bringing the total number of fatalities to nine.
At least six people remain missing, according to the coastguard. Three bodies had already been found last Friday.
The body of a woman was found on a stretch of rocky coast on the island of Antiparos some 45 kilometres south-east of the site of the accident. She was identified by relatives.
Divers from the Greek coast guard were also able to recover five bodies from the wreckage of the boat off Mykonos, which lay at a depth of around 30 metres, the authorities announced on Tuesday. It published a video of the wreckage on YouTube.
The surviving migrants said they had set out from the Turkish coast on Thursday. The cause of the accident remains unclear, but strong winds are common around Mykonos.
Smugglers repeatedly try to bring people from Turkey across the eastern Mediterranean in small boats, in order to reach the European Union, often via Greece.
However, many of these attempts end in disaster, due to the weather and unseaworthy, overcrowded vessels. UN figures show at least 326 people died in the region last year, though the true figure is thought to be significantly higher.
Source: Qatar Tribune
