Body of migrant from sunken boat found on Greek island

By Magda Panoutsopoulou

ATHENS (AA) – Greek authorities found the body of a woman who was on board the dinghy that sank last Friday near Greece's Mykonos Island, local media reported on Tuesday.

The body of the migrant, who was recovered on the shores of Antiparos Island, was recognized by the only two survivors of the boat, state broadcaster ERT said. According to their testimonies, there were 17 people on board the dinghy, among them were four or five women and a 7-year-old girl.

The confirmed death toll so far from the accident has reached four including three women and a man.

A search and rescue operation is still underway by the Greek Coast Guard to retrieve the rest of the missing passengers.

Greece has been criticized by several humanitarian groups on its illegal pushback tactics and for its treatment of migrants arriving in Greece violating several human rights laws.

In April, video footage recorded on the island of Lesvos by an Austrian activist and later released by The New York Times revealed the illegal pushbacks that the Greek government has been denying.

The video showed 12 migrants, including children and a 6-month-old infant, being transported by a van to a nearby remote area where they were forcefully seen boarding a high-speed inflatable boat.

According to the report, the man who drove the vehicle was wearing a balaclava.

The irregular migrants were later transferred to a Greek Coast Guard vessel before being abandoned on a floating boat in the middle of the Aegean Sea and set adrift until they were picked up by the Turkish Coast Guard.

Former Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis claimed that his government’s policy towards irregular migration is tough but fair and that the video is being investigated.

In 2015-16, Greece was at the epicenter of the migration crisis, with nearly 1 million refugees crossing its borders in search of safety from war-stricken countries.