Police and ambulance crews at Rhodes’ main port held up sheets of gray tarp on Friday morning while the bodies of eight migrants, one of them a child, were carried to an ambulance.
The dead came from a speedboat that capsized off the eastern Greek island. According to the coast guard, the driver was making “dangerous maneuvres” to shake off a patrol vessel when passengers tumbled into the water. Greek authorities gave the toll as eight.
Three coast guard vessels and a helicopter worked the waters near Afantou Beach, a resort area in the northeast of Rhodes. Officials could not say whether anyone else was still missing.
Two survivors were arrested on people smuggling charges. Eight others went to hospital, local officials said, and state-run television reported that one of them was in critical condition.
A minister’s response
Shipping Minister Christos Stylianides confirmed that a child was among the victims. He pointed the blame at the smugglers.
“Tragically, once again, the ruthless trafficking network has sacrificed eight human lives today, including a young child, in pursuit of illegal profit,” he said. He added: “We are determined to resolutely address the major problem of illegal migration that has exceeded the European Union’s capacity to cope.”
A week of deadly crossings
Rhodes sits among several large Greek islands close to the Turkish coast, on a busy smuggling route in the eastern Mediterranean.
It was the second deadly migrant incident in a week. Over the weekend, a boat partly sank south of Crete. Seven people died and dozens are believed to be missing. That sinking was one of four rescue operations during which more than 200 people were pulled from the water. The search near the tiny island of Gavdos was called off on Wednesday.
Athens is preparing for more arrivals because of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The coast guard said it rescued 120 people in three separate incidents off Greek islands in the previous 24 hours.
Government data points to more than 60,000 irregular migrants reaching Greece this year. Syrians are the largest group, followed by Afghans, Egyptians, Eritreans and Palestinians.
