Babies, Children among 34 Dead in Migrant Boat Sinking off Greece

Fifteen children, including four babies, were among the 34 people who drowned Sunday when the overcrowded boat they were traveling on between Turkey and Greece capsized in the Aegean Sea.

Violent storms and high winds swept across the Mediterranean over the weekend, worsening the already treacherous conditions for thousands of refugees trying to make the trek to Europe by boat and on foot.

“The wind is picking up and the waves are getting higher,” said Save the Children’s Kate O’Sullivan by phone from the Greek island of Lesbos. “Today we saw boat after boat after boat come in and every last person on them was freezing and wet."

Four infants and 11 young children (five girls and six boys) were among those who died when their wooden boat sank near the island of Farmakonisi just off the Turkish coast. A total of 34 were found dead, including eight victims discovered in the vessel’s hold by Greek Coast guard rescuers. Another 68 were pulled from the sea and 29 managed to swim to the nearest beach, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Most refugees and migrants cross Turkey to Greece in rubber dinghies, usually traveling in groups of 40-50. The sinking of a wooden boat could signal that traffickers on the Turkish side are trying to move larger numbers of people before poor weather conditions prohibit further sea crossings. Wooden boats can carry more people, but also capsize easily when overcrowded, and are especially perilous for those forced to travel below in the stifling holds.

In April, 800 people drowned after a large wooden vessel capsized and sunk in the Mediterranean off Italy. A similar tragedy unfolded last month off the coast of Libya after a boat carrying hundreds of refugees and migrants capsized as an Irish navy ship was attempting a rescue.

“The crossing between Greece and Turkey is much shorter than from Libya to Italy, but it is now becoming very treacherous,” O’Sullivan said. “The lifejackets they are wearing are next to nothing. There must be a safer route opened up for these children.”

An emergency evacuation was carried out on the island of Lesbos last week, but already the camps and public parks are filling up again, say witnesses there. German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday called on Athens to do more to protect its borders, but Interim Prime Minister Vassiliki Thanou rejected any criticism of Greece, saying it was strictly applying international treaties “without ignoring the humanity of the situation.”

Approximately 430,000 migrants and refugees are estimated to have crossed the Mediterranean into Europe this year, and 2,748 have died trying, according to the International Organization for Migration.