ISTANBUL: One person died and 43 were rescued when a migrant boat got into difficulties in the Aegean Sea, Turkish authorities said Thursday, while an NGO accused the Greek coast guard of endangering the vessel.
The migrants were just off the Greek island of Lesbos, which is about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Turkish coast, when the inflatable boat became “partially submerged” on Wednesday, according to the Turkish coast guard.
Forty-three people were rescued by the Turkish coast guard, including four who were in the water.
“The body of an irregular migrant was recovered and a suspected smuggler was apprehended,” the Turkish coast guard said.
The crossing is frequently used by people smugglers as Greece is a key entry point for migrants seeking to reach Europe. In April, 19 Afghan migrants drowned when an inflatable dinghy sank off the Turkish coast.
The Norwegian NGO Aegean Boat Report, which helps migrants in distress in the Aegean Sea, said it received an emergency call from people on the inflatable accusing the Greek coast guard of damaging the vessel.
“The group told us they had been violently pushed back by the Hellenic Coast Guard,” Aegean Boat Report said in a statement.
“According to the survivors, the coast guard destroyed the engine, damaged the rubber boat during the attack, and left them helplessly drifting at sea while the boat started taking in water.
The NGO documents illegal pushbacks blamed on the Greek coast guard — allegations that Greece denies.
In February, 15 migrants were killed in a collision between a small boat and a Greek coast guard patrol boat off the island of Chios, just a short distance from the Turkish coast.
At least 1,209 migrants have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year, according to the International Organization for Migration.
