In a second serious incident in the space of only two days in the Aegean Sea involving a human smuggling vessel, the Greek coast guard managed to rescue 3 migrants on Tuesday morning.
The incident occurred off the north coast of the Island of Samos, located in the eastern Aegean Sea, merely a mile off the western coast of Turkey, when the rubber dinghy, reportedly carrying 31 migrants, attempted to enter Greek waters.
After the Greek coast guard vessel initially blocked its course, the smugglers’ boat engaged in dangerous maneuvers in an effort to avoid capture. The criminals subsequently threw all 31 migrants into the sea in a last-ditch attempt to escape arrest.
One migrant drowned, while the rest swam to safety. Police arrested the two smugglers and authorities are in the process of trying to identify the 30 migrants who were temporarily transported to a refugee hosting facility.
According to a police report, 30 foreign nationals were rescued (15 men, 7 women, and 8 minors). The survivors and the body of the drowned migrant were transferred to the port of Karlovasi, while an autopsy was ordered at the General Hospital of Samos.
The incident comes just days after two suspects were arrested in central Athens after a police chase on Sunday revealed seven irregular migrants packed into their vehicle. The case, which was announced on Tuesday, differs from similar incidents involving police chases of vehicles operated by migrant smugglers, as it occurred in the middle of the Greek capital and the fact that the undocumented migrants are reportedly from Nepal.
According to police, the Nepalese nationals illegally entered northern Greece from the frontier with Bulgaria the same day, and were met by the two smugglers for transport to the greater Athens area.
