Greece’s coast guard has mounted a search-and-rescue operation after a boat carrying irregular migrants overturned near the Turkish coast during the night. A coast guard patrol boat and Super Puma helicopter combed the sea north of the island of Symi seeking survivors, after the Turkish coast guard notified Greek authorities of the tragic incident at noon. The Greek response was immediate.

The lone survivor located in the initial phase said there were 17 people on board. This led to a wider search of the area with six people rescued, seven found dead and five still missing.

Both Greek and Turkish authorities were continuing their search efforts.

According to initial reports, the Turkish coast guard located one person on an islet in Turkish waters late on Friday, who claimed that there were 17 people on board the overturned smuggler’s vessel. After mounting a search, Turkish authorities located five more survivors on another islet and recovered six dead bodies. To date, six people have been rescued, six died and five more are considered missing.

Many Third World migrants pay smugglers thousands of dollars or euros to sneak into the EU aboard small vessels or motorships, but the journey carries many dangers.