Infant among six migrants dead after boat collision near Greece

Six migrants, including an infant, have died after a speedboat carrying people from Turkey overturned following a collision with a Greek coast guard vessel off Lesvos early on Monday, Greek authorities said, as the government vowed “zero tolerance” towards migrant smugglers.

The collision occurred roughly 3.5 nautical miles south of Agrilia, Lesvos.

Rescuers recovered the bodies of four men, one woman and an infant, according to the coast guard, while eight survivors were taken to hospital.

Authorities have arrested a 37-year-old Turkish national among the survivors, identifying him as the suspected smuggler and operator of the boat.

Greece‘s shipping minister Vassilis Kikilias blamed migrant traffickers for the deaths and said evidence so far indicated the speedboat struck the left side of a coast guard vessel with its bow, adding that the exact circumstances were under investigation.

“Our position is non-negotiable: zero tolerance for smugglers,” he said in a post on X.

Greece has long been a favoured gateway to Europe for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

In 2015-16, it was at the frontline of Europe’s migration crisis and nearly 1 million people landed on its islands, mainly from Turkey.