Greek search operation resumes after at least 22 migrants die after boat sinks

CGTN|ATHENS: A search operation off the coast of two Greek islands has resumed after being suspended due to bad weather, following the sinking of two boats carrying migrants on Wednesday.

At least 22 people drowned and many are still missing after the boat sank after hitting a rocky area in stormy waters near the island of Kythira.

Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, meanwhile, has accused Türkiye of not doing enough to stop human traffickers.

Rescue efforts resumed in the early hours of Saturday, in the hope of finding anyone at sea.

On Friday night, rescuers retrieved 18 bodies from the Aegean Island of Lesvos, just off the Turkish coast.

Most of them were women in their twenties, believed to be from Somalia.

Hundreds of kilometers southwest of Lesvos. seven more people lost their lives at the island of Kythera, with another eight missing, after a boat heading for Italy crashed into rocky cliffs.

Winds blowing in the area had been close to 120 kilometers an hour and authorities say the boat sank in minutes.

Kythera sits on a route often used by smugglers to bypass Greece and head directly to neighboring Italy.

This tragedy comes at a time of tension between Greece and Türkiye, which have traded blame over the issue of migration.

Greece’s Immigration and Asylum Minister Notis Mitarakis urged Türkiye to do more to stop boats leaving its coast during harsh weather conditions – and called on European leaders to take action against the Turkish government.

“It is time for the European Union as a whole to call on Türkiye to manage and protect its borders better, according to international law. Turkiye should prevent these illegal departures from their country,” said Notis Mitarakis.

Greek premier Mitsotakis also took aim, urging Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to work with Greece.

“Let no more lives be needlessly lost in the Aegean. There is no doubt that Türkiye, if it wants to, and it has proven this, can do more to reduce the problem,” he said.

Türkiye has previously accused Greece of forcing migrant boats back from its waters.

But the Greek government continues to blame what it calls Türkiye’s “tolerance of ruthless smugglers” for causing this latest tragedy.

But as the back and forth continues, the death toll is likely to rise – with many still missing at sea.