7 dead as migrant boat sinks off Greek island

By Furkan Naci Top

ATHENS (AA) - At least seven people including two children died after a migrant boat sank off the Greek island of Lesbos, local media reports said on Tuesday.

According to Greek national news agency AMNA, the vessel which set off from Turkish shores sank 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) from the island.

Rescue teams recovered the bodies of two children, four women, and a man -- all of them of African origin, the report said, with 57 others rescued from the wreck.

UNHCR Representative in Greece Philippe Leclerc, said the recent tragedy was a "painful reminder that people continue to take perilous journeys to reach the Greek Aegean islands."

According to the UN refugee agency, approximately 10,700 refugees and migrants have reached Greece so far this year by sea, with 39 killed while attempting to make the journey.

*Writing by Nilay Kar Onum