At least eight people, including a child, drowned after a speedboat carrying migrants capsized in the Aegean Sea during a chase with a Greek patrol boat.
The Coast Guard said the boat's driver “lost control” while trying to escape from the patrol boat.
The boat was traveling at high speed and collided with the side of a Greek coast guard vessel as it tried to flee, according to local media.
So far, 18 people have been rescued at sea, the coast guard said, and many survivors were injured after the incident.
Friday's incident occurred near the island of Rhodes, close to the Turkish coast, on a route often used by migrant smugglers.
A helicopter and coast guard vessels are continuing their search for other survivors.
Greek Shipping Minister Christos Stylianides expressed his “deepest sadness” over the loss of life, saying his goal was to fight “ruthless” smugglers who sacrifice lives for profit.
Thousands of migrants trying to reach Europe by boat die each year in the Mediterranean.
Last month eight people, including six children, rescued after migrant boat capsized off the Greek island of Samos.
Since the start of the year, more than 50,000 migrants have arrived in Greece by boat, making it the second most used European migration route behind Italy.
Migrant arrivals had been falling steadily since August 2023, but have increased again since the summer, according to the data from the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.
Around 180,000 migrants have arrived in Europe by sea this year, according to agency figures, while 2,000 people have died or are missing. Around 23% of arrivals were children.
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