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Ten refugees drown off Farmakonissi island, dozens rescued as boat sinks

Xinhua, September 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

Ten refugees and migrants, among them a child, drowned on Sunday off the coast of the Aegean Sea island of Farmakonissi, according to the Greek Coast Guard.

Dozens were rescued after the sinking of a boat that was transferring them to Greece and an unclear number of people are still missing.

Approximately 100 persons were on board the dinghy that had left Turkey for the Greek islands according to survivors. Sixty eight passengers were rescued by the Greek Coast Guard after the boat sank under still undetermined circumstances.

The Greek Coast Guard has so far retrieved the dead bodies of ten victims, while a rescue operation was still underway for an unclear number of missing people.

The new tragedy occurred as the Greek caretaker Prime Minister Vassiliki Thanou was visiting Aegean Sea islands which have received unprecedented waves of undocumented migrants and refugees this year, pledging the creation of more reception centers.

According to the latest official estimates more than 230,000 refugees and migrants have reached Greece's shores from the start of 2015. Eight out of ten were Syrian fleeing the war.

More than 2,700 people have perished in the sea during their attempt in the Mediterranean this year. Endit