One person is dead and 43 others have been rescued after a migrant boat partially submerged in the Aegean Sea, about 30 kilometers from the Greek island of Lesbos. Turkish authorities reported the operation Wednesday, which included recovering the body of one irregular migrant and apprehending a suspected smuggler.
The Norwegian NGO Aegean Boat Report claims it received an emergency call from those aboard, accusing the Greek coastguard of violently pushing them back, destroying the engine and damaging the rubber boat, leaving them drifting and taking on water. Greece denies these allegations.
This incident follows the deaths of 15 migrants in February off the island of Chios after a collision with a Greek patrol boat. According to the International Organization for Migration, at least 1,209 migrants have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean since the start of the year.