Six migrants, including infant, die after boat collision off Greece's Lesvos

Six migrants, including an infant, have died after a speedboat carrying people from Turkey collided with a Greek coast guard vessel and overturned off the island of Lesvos early on Monday, Greek authorities said.

The accident occurred about 3.5 nautical miles south of Agrilia, Lesvos. The coast guard said rescuers recovered the bodies of four men, one woman and an infant, while eight people survived and were taken to hospital.

Authorities arrested a 37-year-old Turkish national who was among the survivors and identified him as the suspected smuggler and operator of the boat.

Greece’s shipping minister Vassilis Kikilias blamed migrant traffickers for the deaths, saying evidence so far indicated the speedboat struck the left side of the coast guard vessel with its bow, and adding that the exact circumstances were under investigation.

“Our position is non-negotiable: zero tolerance for smugglers,” he said in a post on X.

Greece has long been a favoured gateway to Europe for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In 2015–16 it was at the frontline of Europe’s migration crisis, when nearly one million people landed on its islands, mainly from Turkey.

Reporting by Renee Maltezou, writing by Antonis Pothitos, via Reuters.