One person has died and three others are missing after a boat carrying migrants sank off the Greek island of Samos early on Monday, the Greek Coast Guard said.
Twenty-six migrants managed to reach the shore in the Petalides area and informed authorities that others were still at sea. The boat reportedly sank during the early morning hours.
Coast Guard vessels, a helicopter, a private boat, and ground teams launched a search and rescue operation. The body of a woman was recovered during the search, while operations continued to locate the three missing persons. The nationalities of the migrants were not disclosed.
Greece has been a major entry point for migrants and refugees into the European Union since 2015, with more than one million arrivals recorded. Hundreds have lost their lives attempting to cross the sea.
According to the latest data from Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, irregular migration flows through the Eastern Mediterranean decreased by 30% during the first 11 months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, with approximately 46,200 arrivals recorded in Greek waters this year, Euronews.al reports.
However, Frontex also reported a sharp increase in activity along the Libya–Crete corridor, with detections rising by 272% year-on-year during the same period.
The incident follows several recent migrant tragedies in Greek waters. On December 6, Greek authorities recovered 17 bodies and rescued two migrants from a vessel off the coast of Crete.
On December 8, a 12-year-old boy died after being struck by a boat propeller when a smuggler allegedly forced migrants to jump from a speedboat in Samos.
A week later, 28 migrants were rescued and three remained missing after their boat crashed into rocks near Samos.
