Wed Nov 06 16:47:24 UTC 2024: ## Tragedy Strikes Aegean Sea: Four Found Dead, 25 Survivors Rescued Off Rhodes
**Rhodes, Greece** – A tragic incident unfolded off the coast of Rhodes on Wednesday, with the Greek coastguard recovering the bodies of four people from the sea while rescuing 25 survivors who had managed to swim to shore.
The bodies of three men and one woman were found near the southern tip of the island. The 25 survivors were located in groups, with 11 initially discovered shortly after midnight and the rest located later. The nationalities of the deceased and survivors remain unknown.
Survivors recounted a harrowing tale of being forced overboard by a smuggler who was driving a speedboat from the Turkish coast to the Greek island. The smuggler abandoned the group in the water before fleeing.
A search and rescue operation was launched but was called off Wednesday afternoon after survivors confirmed that there were no further missing persons.
This incident marks another tragedy in the ongoing migration crisis in the Aegean Sea. In recent weeks, two people died near the island of Samos in October, and four more, including two infants, perished near the island of Kos.
Greece has become a key entry point for migrants and asylum seekers from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia since 2015. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that 48,158 arrivals have been recorded in 2024, with most arriving by boat. Rhodes, like many Greek islands, has seen a significant increase in asylum seekers in recent months.
In response to the growing influx, Greece’s migration minister, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, has called for stricter EU migration policies and is considering establishing detention facilities on Rhodes and Crete. However, human rights groups and NGOs oppose these measures, arguing that they would amount to prison camps and violate the rights of asylum seekers.
First Piper 