简体中文
A vessel carrying approximately 200 illegal migrants sank off the coasts of Rhodes island in southeastern Aegean Sea on Monday, local authorities said.
At least three people were killed, according to unconfirmed information by local media.
According to the latest official countdown, 83 people have been rescued, including 23 who have been transferred to a local hospital to receive medical care.
According to initial information, most of the passengers landed safely with the help of locals and tourists when the vessel run aground at a beach and sank within minutes.
Local media reported that survivors said most passengers were refugees from war-torn Syria.
It was unclear yet whether there were people trapped inside the vessel.
The incident occurred a day after hundreds of migrants and refugees lost their lives in a similar tragedy taking place off the coast of Italy's Lampedusa island.
Greece and Italy are two key transit points for people entering Europe illegally to seek a better life for years. Thousands of people have lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea in the process.
Due to the ongoing conflicts in the wider region, the number of undocumented migrants and refugees reaching Greece has tripled in the first three months of 2015 compared to that of last year, Greece's Deputy Minister of Migration Tassia Christodoulopoulou said last week.
Greece estimated that should inflows continue at this rate the debt-laden country will receive 100,000 undocumented migrants and refugees this year.
Greece and other southern European countries are seeking more support from the EU to address the issue. Enditem
