Update: Boat sinks off Greek island, death toll reaches 24 refugees

Twenty-four people, including ten children, died on Thursday off the shores of Samos island, according to the latest death toll announced by Greek authorities, after a boat carrying migrants from Turkey to Greece capsized.

Ten people have been rescued while an as yet unclear number of passengers were still missing, Greek Coast Guard officers said as the rescue operation was underway.

A survivor who swam to the shore and alerted authorities told the Coast Guard there were around 50 people on board.

The new tragedy was reported a day after seven people, including a 6-year-old boy and a 12-month-old girl, lost their lives under similar circumstances off Kos island.

A few hours later on Wednesday, European partners gave a stern warning to Greece to strengthen the protection of its borders or face temporary expulsion from the Schengen passport-free travel zone.

After an EU investigation found major flaws in Greece's management of its borders and screening of migrants, the EU Commission warned Athens that other Schengen member states could give a three-month ultimatum to the country to improve the condition. Otherwise, Greece may see partners reinstall strict border controls to curb the flow of people further into Europe.

Greece has been heavily criticized of failing to effectively protect its borders which are also EU's borders to the east, allowing hundreds of thousands of desperate people to enter Europe. In 2015, more than 800,000 landed on Greek shores via Turkey.

However, the Greek government dismissed the criticism as unfair, noting that EU partners have not provided adequate assistance to Greece to face the common challenge and are not pressuring Turkey to implement a recent deal to manage the crisis on the other side of the Aegean Sea. Endit