12 Migrants Die in Two Speedboat Incidents off Greece

Twelve migrants died in two separate speedboat incidents near the Greek islands of Lesbos and Samos on Monday, as coast guard units carried out simultaneous rescues across the north-eastern Aegean.

Off Samos, a speedboat carrying migrants from Turkey capsized roughly four nautical miles north of the island. Six people died, five men and one woman. Fourteen were pulled from the water. An Iranian national recovered among the survivors was arrested on suspicion of organizing the crossing.

Off Lesbos, a second speedboat collided with a Greek coast guard patrol vessel near the Agrilia area during a pursuit and overturned. Six more died, including an infant. Eight survivors were taken to hospital. A 37-year-old Turkish national identified by authorities as the boat operator was arrested at the scene.

Greece's shipping minister Vassilis Kikilias said evidence gathered so far indicates the speedboat struck the port side of the coast guard vessel. The exact sequence of events is under investigation; the coast guard's patrol logs and vessel tracking data will be among the materials reviewed.

The Greek government attributed both deaths to smuggling networks and repeated its position of zero tolerance toward migrant smugglers. Formal investigations are open on both incidents.

The Aegean crossing from Turkey to the Greek islands is one of the most active migration routes in the eastern Mediterranean. Samos and Lesbos are close to the Turkish coast and are regularly among the first Greek territory migrants reach. The stretch of water can be deceptively short but is exposed to fast-changing conditions. A cargo ship fire north of Mykonos in September required the emergency evacuation of all 29 crew aboard, a reminder that even commercial vessels face serious emergencies in the same sea.