Thirty-four refugees, half of whom were children, have drowned off a Greek island after the boat they were travelling in capsized. The nationalities of those travelling on the vessel have not yet been confirmed.
Four babies, six boys and five girls are among those who died Sunday morning. The accident occurred about three miles east of the small island of Farmakonisi, close to Turkey’s coast. Units of the Greek coastguard said 68 people were rescued from the water and another 30 survivors from the same boat were found on Farmakonisi.
Accidents like this have become increasingly common since the unrest in Syria. On the island of Lesbos one inflatable carrying about 70 refugees, including many children, burst about 100 metres from the shore. Locals pulled infants and toddlers , including a two-month old baby cradled by his father ashore on rubber rings.