Twelve migrants drowned in two separate incidents off the Greek islands of Lesbos and Samos in the northeastern Aegean Sea on Monday, after their boats capsized as the coast guard chased them, authorities said (Reuters). Off Samos, five men and one woman died after a speedboat carrying migrants from Turkey made a sudden manoeuvre and overturned roughly four nautical miles north of the island, the Greek coast guard said. Fourteen men survived, a search-and-rescue operation was under way, and authorities arrested one survivor, an Iranian national, on suspicion of migrant smuggling.

Earlier, six people, including an infant, died when their boat collided with a Greek coast guard vessel and overturned off the area of Agrilia in Lesbos. Eight survivors were taken to hospital. Authorities arrested a 37-year-old Turkish national who was among the eight survivors and identified him as the suspected smuggler and operator of the boat.

Greece's shipping minister Vassilis Kikilias said evidence so far indicated the speedboat struck the left side of a coast guard vessel with its bow, adding that the exact circumstances were under investigation. In a post on X, he said the government's position was "zero tolerance for smugglers", whom it blamed for the deaths.

Greece has for years been a favoured gateway to Europe for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. According to the International Organization for Migration, at least 1,209 migrants have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year (AFP).

Sources: Reuters, AFP, Greek coast guard.