Ionian League

A broad search and rescue operation by the Greek Coast Guard continued for a second day on Tuesday off the eastern Aegean island of Samos, to locate a person who remained unaccounted for after a boat smuggling migrants capsized on Monday.

The population of asylum-seekers who remain in specially built structures on the islands is reportedly constantly rising in tandem with the daily interception of migrant trafficking boats by the Greek Coast Guard.

An alleged smuggler who transported migrants in an inflatable boat that sank off the coast of Samos on Monday has been identified, arrested and will be brought before a prosecutor on Tuesday.

Four migrants, a young girl and three women, lost their lives in the shipwreck, while it is believed that one more migrant is missing.

At least four migrants died when their boat sank on Monday off the Greek island of Samos, the Greek Coast Guard said.

At least 30 migrants were believed to be initially on board the vessel that foundered off the rocky shores of Agios Isidoros in the northwestern part of the Aegean island, according to coast guard officials.

I think I have a soft spot for Didim. On the way from the Izmir airport to this well-kept secret of Turkish summer vacationists, I remember the days long gone by. It must have been about 35 years or so when I spent countless days at the ancient site of Miletus.

On Wednesday, September 18th, the Central Port Authority of Chios was informed about a speedboat with foreign passengers moving in the sea area of Nenita, coming from the Turkish coast. A Coast Guard patrol boat was dispatched to the scene, where the speedboat’s operator performed dangerous maneuvers to avoid capture.

One migrant died after smugglers piloting a speedboat from Turkey to an Aegean Sea island forced their passengers into the sea on Tuesday to avoid detection by marine patrols, Greek authorities said.

The remaining 30 migrants on the vessel were unhurt, a coast guard statement said.

On Tuesday morning (17/9), the Samos Port Authority was informed of the presence of a speedboat with foreigners on board, which was moving towards the northwest coast of the island. A Hellenic Coast Guard patrol boat rushed to the area and spotted the vessel, attempting to immobilize it with sound and visual signals.

A state of alert has been raised within the Greek Police (ELAS) following the arrest of a man from Turkey on Chios for weapons possession and forgery.