The death toll from the sinking of a wooden boat carrying refugees and migrants in the Aegean has risen to 16, among them six children and a baby, Greek authorities announced on Saturday. Despite an ongoing search and rescue operation, authorities failed to find any additional missing persons among the 21 believed to be on board at the time the boat sank.
So far, only one man and two women have survived the shipwreck and managed to swim ashore to a beach in Agathonissi, where they were picked up and given first aid. The dead bodies and the three survivors have been taken to Pythagorio, Samos in a coast guard vessel.
The Greek coast guard launched a major rescue operation after the sinking was called in on Saturday morning, with the participation of two offshore vessels, two patrol boats, a Hellenic Navy gunboat, three fishing boats, a Hellenic Air Force helicopter, a Frontex vessel and nearby ships.
