Tue Nov 26 21:00:00 UTC 2024: ## Eight Migrants, Including Six Children, Drown in Greek Shipwreck
**Athens, Greece** – At least eight people, including six children, perished when a migrant boat capsized off the Greek island of Samos on Sunday, November 25th, 2024. Thirty-six survivors were found on a rocky shoreline, with three others rescued earlier. A search and rescue operation involving a patrol vessel, lifeboat, navy ship, helicopter, and land crews is underway, though the exact number of people initially aboard remains unclear. The nationalities of the victims and survivors have not yet been released.
Greek Migration Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos condemned the tragedy, vowing to crack down on human smuggling networks responsible for the perilous crossings. He stated that the “unscrupulous criminals who trade in human lives will meet with our determination to eradicate (their activities).”
In a separate incident on the island of Lesbos, an elderly man died during the landing of 27 migrants. The remaining migrants were unharmed.
The incidents highlight a recent increase in migrant crossings into Greece, with over 54,000 people entering illegally by sea or land this year, according to UN data. Most arrive from Turkey in small boats, though Mediterranean crossings from Libya are also on the rise. This represents a significant increase from the nearly 49,000 arrivals in 2023. Samos and other Aegean islands serve as major transit points for migrants attempting to reach the European Union.
First Piper 