Aegean migrant shipwreck leaves 13 dead, 43 people still missing

Thirteen people have died in the Greek waters of the Aegean following a boat carrying 68 migrants sank on Tuesday. 

Greek Coast Guard rescued 12 migrants who were also on the boat departed from Turkey’s Izmir, are still missing, Deutsche Welle Turkish reported on Wednesday.  

The rest 43 people are still missing. 

The sailboat with reportedly 68 migrants on board capsized and sank in Kafireas Strait, between the islands of Evia and Andros on Tuesday morning. Some of the survivors were rescued from an uninhabited islet south of Evia, some on the southern tip of Evia and some from plucked from the sea, according to Kathimerini.

The survivors that included Egyptians, Afghans and Iranians told the authorities that the boat was departed from Izmir, a western province in Turkey, carrying 68 migrants, the newspaper said.

Migration is a disputed issue between Greece and Turkey. Ankara frequently accuses Greece of violent and unlawful migrant pushbacks in the Aegean, describing the act as a crime against humanity. Athens on the other hand, blames Ankara of deliberately encouraging migrants to cross border, despite being obliged to stop them entering Greece, under a 2016 deal signed with the European Union.