Tag Archive for 'distress at sea'

11.07.14 Shipwreck near Samos: 6 dead, 23 survivors and more than 8 missing

On the early noon of Sunday 11th of July a refugee boat got in distress 10nm North East of Karlovasi, Samos. The refugee boat carrying approximately 35-40 people was a sailing boat according to the testimonies of the survivors.
The causes of the shipwreck are not yet clear. The media speak about bad weather conditions, overloaded boat, panic, sudden movement of the passengers etc as possible causes.

On Sunday there are 15 survivors in the Greek side (9 were brought to Chios, 6 to Samos) and 8 survivors on the Turkish side (2 near the shipreck area and 6 norhernof this area). In Samos Hospital (ICU) there is a minor in intensive care. They were trying to transfer him to Mytilini ICU but his severe health condition made the transfer impossible.

2 corpses were found Friday on the Greek side: a dead man and a dead woman and 2 more bodies (of a man and a boy) were found on Saturday also on the Greek side. Another two corpses were found on the Turkish side.

At least 8 persons are still missing.

The rescue operation was carried out with 4 Greek coast guard boats, 1 helicopter and 5 boats that were sailing in the area that day.

Until now there was no information about the nationalities of the survivors or their health condition.
Continue reading ‘11.07.14 Shipwreck near Samos: 6 dead, 23 survivors and more than 8 missing’

At least 22 refugees dead after boats capsize off Samos in Greece

The Greek Coastguard has rescued 38 people and a 2-year-old boy who were among more than 60 on board two dinghies when they sank 4,5 nautic miles off Samos

Twenty two migrants have drowned and among them 4 children … are missing after their boats capsized in the Aegean sea, Greece’s coastguard said on Monday.

More than 60 migrants of unknown nationality had attempted to cross the sea from neighbouring Turkey when their two dinghies capsized near the Greek island of Samos, the coastguard said.

It has so far picked up 39 survivors and twenty two dead, and the operation is ongoing.

“Two drowned bodies were found and 36 migrants have been rescued … ” an official told Reuters.

Authorities said they did not yet know the nationality of the migrants. Two air force helicopters, assisted by two coastguard vessels, one navy warship and a cruise liner were searching for the missing, the coast guard official said.
Continue reading ‘At least 22 refugees dead after boats capsize off Samos in Greece’

147 refugees saved between Malta an Greece transferred to Athens; 69 saved near Samothraki

The tank ship «Southern Spirit» flagged Maltese brought the 147 saved refugees that had been saved after calling 112 on May 2nd on Sunday to the port of Piraeus. Among them are 5 women and 7 children. JCCR Greece in cooperation with RCC Malta saved them when they had lost control of their boat. The refugees coming mainly from Syria and Egypt who had started their trip from Egypt will be hosted in the School for Coast Guards in Piraeus for as long as their registration takes place and then they will be transferred to the police for being either released or detained (with the aim of deportation).

The same day a small boat with about 60 refugees was detected north of Samothraki island. They were first brought to the island and then transferred to Alexandroupolis. The refugees had send SOS.

efymerida ton syndaktvn (in greek)
efymerida ton syndakton (in greek)

Shipwreck near Izmir: Another 8 refugees found dead up to now, yet 5 missing

8 dead, 3 rescued wounded and 5 missing. The boat which sank near Menderes district close to Izmir carried 16 refugees.
Among the dead a mother and a small girl of 4-5 years. All of the refugees were from Syria.

fft2mm4740876

posta.tr (in turkish)
tellal (in turkish)
hurhaber (in turkish)
left.gr (in greek)

331 refugees saved near Crete

331 refugees (267 men, 24 women and 40 children) from Syria and Egypt were saved from a fisher boat which had gotten in distress earlier in the sea of Kythira. They were transferred to Crete. The fisher boat had called SOS in the night of Sunday 65 nautic miles northwest of Crete. Two cargo ships of foreign flags, one greek tanker one ship of the US-Marine, a boat of the Greek coast guard, a fregatte of the greek navy and a helicopter of the greek coast guard got to the spot immediately.

efimerida ton syndakton (in greek)

update 4.4.14:

Today the Syrian refugees were left to go while the people from Egypt were kept and will be brought to detention – among the latter are reportedly many unaccompanied minors.

Xaniotika Nea (in greek)

Another refugee boat in distress between Bodrum and Kos

your seas have the smell of migrants corpses

your seas have the smell of migrants corpses


Turkish coast guards saved 3 refugees whose boat got in distress between Bodrum and Kos. Four persons drowned and one is still missing.

todays zaman (in english)

7 refugees dead, 2 missing after shipwreck near Lesvos island

Shortly after midnight, in the early morning hours of the 18th MArch 2014 two refugees were saved from a Turkish Cargo near Lesvos island. As they reported their boat had half sank despite the good weather conditions. Two boats of the Greek coast guard, one helicopter, a fisherboat and a search and rescue boat started searching for the other refugees. There were 17 persons on board among them also babies. A girl and a man were found dead already and later another 3 women, one boy and a man were found inside the boat near Korakas beach. Another 8 men were saved around 2:30 in the morning. Two men are still missing. The refugees are from Syria.


ta nea (in greek)
lesvos news (in greek)
kokkino radio (in greek)
tvxs (in greek)
efimerida ton syndakton (in greek)
Hellenic Coast Guard (in greek)

One dead, seven missing as boat capsizes near Kuşadası, Turkey

At least one refugee was killed and seven others are missing as their boat capsized near Kuşadası coast of Aydın province.
Coast guards could save 11 passengers of the boat, which was carrying 19 refugees.

Aydın Governor Erol Ayyıldız said in a statement that the adverse weather conditions could cause the incident and that coast guards as well as a helicopter and four rescue boats are looking for the missing passengers.

Ayyıldız said they still couldn’t identify the nationality of the immigrants.

todayszaman (in english)

5 refugees drown on their way to Lesvos

A dinghy with 13 Syrian refugees got in distress near the Turkish coast. 5 refugees drowned, among them a 2-month-old baby. 9 persons were saved. They were heading towards Lesvos island.

newspost (in greek)
radikal.com(in turkish)

Boat in distress near Lefkada leaves 12 dead until now

When the boat got in distress the reguees called the Hellenic coastguard. Upon arrival the boat had turned already around, 12 persons were found dead until now – among them four children. 15 persons could be saved. They informed the authorities that more people are missing.
iefimerida (in greek)