Two packed boats sank off the coast of the Greek island of Lesbos, killing at least 16 migrants and leaving another 30 missing.
A ship reportedly sank off the Greek island of Lesbos in the middle of the Aegean Sea, not far from Turkey’s shore, early this morning,(Thursday) according to Greek coastguard personnel.
It is the second incident involving migrants in less than 24 hours, Greek officials said.
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The bodies of 16 women were found on Thursday morning, according to rescuers, who estimated that the capsized boat was carrying about 40 passengers.
The coast guard stated that an additional nine ladies had been saved and that 15 individuals were still missing.
The incident comes after Greek authorities rescued 80 migrants whose boat sank after hitting a rocky area in stormy waters near the island of Kythira in southern Greece on Wednesday.
Officials said the rescue operation was still ongoing.
Coast guard spokesman Nikos Kokkalas told state television that the women who were rescued were in a full state of panic so “we are still trying to work out what happened.
“The women were all from African countries, aged 20 upward.
“There is a search on land as well as at sea and we hope that survivors made it to land.”
