Four migrants tragically lost their lives on Wednesday when their boat capsized near the island of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea, according to the Greek coast guard.
“The bodies of three men and one woman were recovered near Rhodes, while 25 other individuals managed to reach the shore,” stated a coast guard communiqué.
Details regarding the vessel that sank have not yet been released.
Situated near Turkey, Rhodes is one of the Greek islands that has seen a significant increase in the number of asylum seekers in recent months, with more than 700 arriving in the last week of October alone, as reported by the local newspaper Rodiaki.
Hundreds of migrants have set up tents and makeshift shelters outside the city’s police station, which has sparked frustration among local residents and authorities.
According to the Ministry of Migration, Greece has experienced a 25% increase in arrivals of individuals fleeing conflict and poverty in 2024, alongside a 30% rise in migration flows to the Dodecanese archipelago, where Rhodes is the largest island, and the southeastern Aegean Sea.
“The southeastern Aegean and the island of Rhodes are currently facing migratory pressure,” acknowledged Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos on Tuesday, asserting that this surge is not directly connected to conflicts in the Middle East.
Tragic maritime incidents are all too common and often deadly. At the end of October, two migrants perished near the island of Samos, just days after four others—including two infants—went missing off the coast of Kos.
