ATHENS: The Greek coast guard recovered four bodies Tuesday after an inflatable boat carrying 38 migrants capsized off the island of Lesbos.
“The four bodies were discovered off the Gulf of Gera on Lesbos while 34 people were discovered on the coast nearby,” a police spokesperson said.
Identification of the victims and the survivors was ongoing, they added.
The migrants’ boat ran aground near the coast then began to sink as strong winds whipped up waves of up to 1.5 meters (five feet), according to the Greek ANA news agency.
Most of the survivors were from African countries and were taken to a reception and registration center on Lesbos, the agency said.
Lesbos, like other Greek islands in the Aegean Sea near neighboring Turkiye, is one of the main entry points into Europe for people fleeing war and poverty.
The perilous crossings are often fatal. In April, seven people, including three children, died when their inflatable boat capsized off the island.
Greece has seen an increase in the number of migrant and refugee arrivals further south on Crete, coming in particular from Libya.
The conservative government hardened its migration policy in July, suspending asylum claims for three months from people coming from north Africa.
The move has been criticized by a number of international organizations, including the UN refugee agency and the Council of Europe.
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Four migrants die as boat capsizes off Greece
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Four migrants die as boat capsizes off Greece
- The four bodies were discovered off the Gulf of Gera on Lesbos
- Most of the survivors were from African countries
Sri Lankan lawmakers to meet to fast-track cyclone aid
- Sri Lanka’s parliament will interrupt its recess to fast-track financial aid needed for rebuilding after Cyclone Ditwah, which killed nearly 650 people, officials said Sunday
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s parliament will interrupt its recess to fast-track financial aid needed for rebuilding after Cyclone Ditwah, which killed nearly 650 people, officials said Sunday.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had said last week that the island nation would need at least $1.66 billion in 2026 — in addition to the $166 million he said the government would spend this year — to rebuild and recover from what he described as the “most challenging natural disaster” to hit the country.
Parliament Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne on Sunday issued a notice for an urgent meeting of the legislature, which had gone into recess after approving the 2026 budget earlier this month and was not scheduled to meet again until January 6.
“I have summoned the parliament to meet on Thursday (18th)... having been requested so to do by the Hon. Prime Minister (Harini Amarasuriya),” the Speaker said in a gazette notification.
Officials at the country’s finance ministry told AFP that the meeting was being held to approve next year’s expenditure for cyclone recovery.
Official figures show that 643 people were killed, with another 184 still missing, following landslides and floods triggered by the cyclone.
At least 2.3 million people — just over 10 percent of the country’s population — were affected by the devastating calamity. Nearly 75,000 people remain housed in state-run camps.
An official leading the recovery effort has estimated that overall damage could cost up to $7 billion.
The United Nations last week set up a $35.3 million fund to provide food and temporary shelter to 658,000 of the worst-affected people.
The fund excludes reconstruction of damaged infrastructure or private property and focuses solely on immediate basic needs.
The United Nations’ top envoy to the country, Marc-Andre Franche, said last week $9.5 million had already been secured, with the European Union, Switzerland, Britain and the United States among donors pledging funds.
The United Nations urged member states and other donors to help raise the remaining $25.8 million.
A quarter of Sri Lanka’s population was living in poverty when the cyclone struck, Franche said, urging the international community to assist the devastated nation.
Sri Lanka is also recovering from its worst-ever financial crisis.
It defaulted on $46 billion of external debt in April 2022 and secured a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund in early 2023.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had said last week that the island nation would need at least $1.66 billion in 2026 — in addition to the $166 million he said the government would spend this year — to rebuild and recover from what he described as the “most challenging natural disaster” to hit the country.
Parliament Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne on Sunday issued a notice for an urgent meeting of the legislature, which had gone into recess after approving the 2026 budget earlier this month and was not scheduled to meet again until January 6.
“I have summoned the parliament to meet on Thursday (18th)... having been requested so to do by the Hon. Prime Minister (Harini Amarasuriya),” the Speaker said in a gazette notification.
Officials at the country’s finance ministry told AFP that the meeting was being held to approve next year’s expenditure for cyclone recovery.
Official figures show that 643 people were killed, with another 184 still missing, following landslides and floods triggered by the cyclone.
At least 2.3 million people — just over 10 percent of the country’s population — were affected by the devastating calamity. Nearly 75,000 people remain housed in state-run camps.
An official leading the recovery effort has estimated that overall damage could cost up to $7 billion.
The United Nations last week set up a $35.3 million fund to provide food and temporary shelter to 658,000 of the worst-affected people.
The fund excludes reconstruction of damaged infrastructure or private property and focuses solely on immediate basic needs.
The United Nations’ top envoy to the country, Marc-Andre Franche, said last week $9.5 million had already been secured, with the European Union, Switzerland, Britain and the United States among donors pledging funds.
The United Nations urged member states and other donors to help raise the remaining $25.8 million.
A quarter of Sri Lanka’s population was living in poverty when the cyclone struck, Franche said, urging the international community to assist the devastated nation.
Sri Lanka is also recovering from its worst-ever financial crisis.
It defaulted on $46 billion of external debt in April 2022 and secured a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund in early 2023.
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