ATHENS, Greece — A migrant boat sinking in the eastern Aegean between Greece and Turkey left at least 16 people dead, including two children, Greek authorities said Monday, while two people were rescued. Patrol boats and helicopters were searching for several more people believed missing.
Greece’s coast guard said the bodies of nine people — six women, two men and a child — had been recovered from Greek waters off the island of Lesbos, while Turkish authorities found the bodies of a further six men and a child in Turkish waters.
One of the rescued women was pregnant. She told Greek authorities she had been among roughly 25 people who had set sail late Sunday night from the Turkish coast heading to Lesbos. The U.N. refugee agency said one of the women was believed to be from Congo and the other from Cameroon.
Vessels and helicopters from Greek authorities and Europe’s border patrol agency Frontex were participating in a search-and-rescue operation. The alert was raised Monday morning by a Greek navy vessel that spotted bodies in the water.