11 refugees die after boat capsizes in waters off Greece

Eleven refugees drowned after a six-meter-long plastic dinghy carrying people from Turkey to Greek shores capsized in the Aegean Sea on Sunday, the Greek Coast Guard announced.

Five women, two children and four infants drowned, most of whom were found trapped inside the dinghy, while 15 refugees were rescued by Greek Coast Guard, local volunteers and divers.

The boat sank just 20 meters from the coasts of Samos island.

The accident occurred just a few days after more than 50 people died from Wednesday to Friday in two of the worst such tragedies in the Aegean since 2015.

More than 500,000 refugees and migrants have reached the Greek shores so far in 2015, according to official figures from Greek authorities and international organizations.

The Greek Coast Guard has rescued approximately 100,000 people since January.

However, the International Office of Migration estimates that the death toll across the Mediterranean nears 3,500 this year.

More than 100 children and infants have drowned in Greek waters over the past two months.

The ongoing refugee crisis has become a main issue of concern for Greek citizens. The latest opinion poll done by polling firm Kappa Research shows that 75 percent of Greeks expressed their agony over the crisis and called for solution.

Among the respondents, 67 percent endorsed the stance of Greek society to support the refugees, and 63.5 percent criticized the way Left-led government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras managed the crisis, the survey said. Endi