Eight migrants have drowned after the boat tries to escape from the Greek ship

At least eight people – including a child – drowned after a speedboat carrying migrants capsized in the Aegean Sea during a pursuit by a Greek patrol vessel.

The Coast Guard said the boat’s driver “lost control” in an attempt to escape from the patrol vessel.

The boat was traveling at high speed and collided with the side of a Greek coastguard vessel while trying to escape, according to local media reports.

So far, 18 people have been rescued from the sea, the coast guard said, with many of the survivors suffering injuries from the incident.

Friday’s incident happened near the island of Rhodes, close to the coast of Turkey, on a route that is often used by migrant smugglers.

A helicopter and coast guard vessels continue to search for other survivors.

Greece’s shipping minister, Christos Stylianides, expressed his “deepest sorrow” at the loss of life, saying his aim was to tackle “ruthless” smugglers who sacrifice lives for profit.

Thousands of migrants trying to reach Europe by boat die in the Mediterranean every year.

Last month, eight people, including six children, were recovered after a migrant boat sank off the Greek island of Samos.

So far this year, more than 50,000 migrants have arrived in Greece by boat, making it the second most used European migrant route after Italy.

Migrant arrivals have fallen steadily since August 2023, but have risen again since the summer, according to data from the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR.

Some 180,000 migrants have arrived in Europe by sea this year, agency figures show, while 2,000 people are dead or missing. About 23% of the arrivals were children.