Greece remains a major entry point for migrants and refugees attempting to reach the European Union by sea.
On Monday, Greek authorities confirmed that six people died and 14 others were rescued after a speedboat carrying migrants capsized off the island of Samos, hours after a separate collision between a migrant speedboat and a Greek coast guard patrol vessel off Lesvos left six people dead.
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The boat capsized during manoeuvres about 3.7 nautical miles north of Samos. A search-and-rescue operation was underway, involving a navy vessel, a coast guard rescue boat and an air force helicopter.
In a separate incident off Lesvos, another eastern Aegean island, four men, a woman and an infant died when a speedboat carrying migrants collided with a Greek coast guard patrol vessel in the early hours of Monday.
Authorities said the migrant boat had made dangerous manoeuvres to evade a coast guard inspection before the collision.
Tra il 2014 e il 2025 almeno 4.414 bambini sono morti lungo le rotte dei migranti: più di uno al giorno, per dodici anni.
Il conto è dell’Organizzazione internazionale per le migrazioni (Oim), l’agenzia dell’Onu che dal 2014 registra i migranti morti e dispersi nel mondo.
Nel… pic.twitter.com/DPCVfEoDtN
— InsideOver (@insideoverita) October 18, 2026
The text reads, “Between 2014 and 2025, at least 4,414 children died along migration routes—an average of more than one per day over the course of twelve years. This figure comes from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency that has been tracking migrant deaths and disappearances worldwide since 2014.
In a report published on October 13, produced in collaboration with a network of organizations led by UNICEF, the IOM warns that the actual number is likely much higher. Over these twelve years, nearly 81,000 migrant deaths or disappearances have been recorded; in more than half of these cases, the individuals’ ages are unknown. Among the children whose ages are known, more than a hundred were under five years old.
More than half of these minors died in the Mediterranean, the deadliest route. In 2024, minors accounted for 19% of the people who arrived in Italy and Malta, yet they represented only 2% of the deaths recorded along that same route. This discrepancy exists because many children who die are never accounted for.
Some disappear without their deaths being registered, while others appear in the data without a specific age—particularly adolescents, who are often classified as adults. The most precise age-related data comes from forensic experts and the police, though they document only a small fraction of cases; the rest of the information is gathered through humanitarian organizations, media outlets, survivors, and witnesses.
IOM Director Amy Pope links these deaths to the lack of safe and legal migration pathways. The organization urges states to systematically record the age of deceased individuals and to share this information among police forces, forensic experts, and humanitarian organizations.
‘Every child who dies during a migratory journey deserves to be accounted for. Yet far too many do not appear in the data. We cannot protect children from dangers that we do not see,’ says Stuart Campo, strategy lead for the IOM’s Data Department.”
Eight survivors — four men, two women and two children — were rescued and taken to hospital for treatment. The boat’s 37-year-old Turkish operator was arrested on suspicion of people smuggling.
Greek Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Vassilis Kikilias expressed grief and anger over the deaths off Lesvos. He reiterated the government’s zero-tolerance policy towards people smugglers, describing them as criminals who endanger the lives of desperate people for profit.
Greece, located at the southeastern edge of Europe, remains a major entry point for migrants and refugees attempting to reach the European Union by sea.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: Xinhua
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