At least 21 die in boat sinkings in Greece

Two accidents in the early hours off the Greek Aegean islands of Farmakonisi and Kalolimnos left 41 people dead, the Greek coastguard said.

Dozens of migrants and refugees survived the shipwrecks and a search-and-rescue operation was under way looking for more survivors.

In a separate incident off Farmakonisi Island, six children and two women drowned when their wooden boat crashed into rocks shortly after midnight. The bodies of 16 women, seven men and 11 children have been recovered.

A helicopter and a private boat continued to search for survivors.

The International Organization for Migration said earlier this week that since the beginning of 2016, an estimated 31,244 migrants and refugees have arrived in Greece by sea.

Brussels vowed to provide €3 billion (RM13.9 billion) as well as political concessions to Ankara in return for its cooperation in tackling Europe’s worst migrant crisis since World War II. In the meantime, Germany – where most immigrants are heading – has welcomed those it considers refugees.

The coastguard recovered the bodies of six kids and a girl.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Friday that the 28-nation bloc faces big economic risks if member countries start putting up walls between each other that restrict borderless travel. “We do not yet have a clear picture of how many were on board”, said the official. Survivors told the authorities that all passengers were accounted for.

According to the latest toll, among the victims who drowned in the cold waters near the islands of Kalolimnos and Farmakonissi were 17 children, Xinhua reported the Coast Guard as saying in a statement. It was unclear how many people had originally been on the boat.

Thousands of refugees, mainly Syrians fleeing the war, have braved rough seas to make the short but precarious journey from Turkey to Greece’s eastern islands, mainly in flimsy and overcrowded inflatable boats.