Five dead in refugee boat sinking off Greek island of Samos

Five dead bodies of refugees and migrants were retrieved on Saturday at the Greek island of Samos in the Aegean Sea, Greek authorities said, adding a rescue operation was underway for the location of an unclear number of missing.

The bodies were found washed up on shore and initially the Greek Coast Guard officers thought they were victims of incidents that have occurred in the area in recent days.

A man who swam to the shore told authorities that he recognized the dead people. He stated they were all on board a vessel that was carrying about 17 refugees and migrants from Turkey to Greece and capsized in rough seas.

The survivor could not say whether the incident had happened in Greek or Turkish waters and the nationalities of the victims.

In 2015, more than 200 people lost their lives under similar circumstances, according to the Greek Coast Guard data, while more than 95,000 were rescued.

More than 800,000 people reached Greece in 2015 seeking refuge in Europe from war torn countries, like Syria. Enditem