Six Dead After Turkish Smuggling Vessel Capsizes Off Lesvos

A boat carrying migrants capsized off the southeastern coast of Lesvos shortly after midnight on Sunday night, killing six people — four men, a woman and an infant — in the sea area of Agrilia, about 3.5 nautical miles from the island’s southeastern shore, the Hellenic Coast Guard said.

According to the Coast Guard, the incident occurred when a speedboat travelling from the coast of Asia Minor towards Lesvos struck the left side of a Coast Guard vessel with its bow. The speedboat overturned following the collision.

During the search and rescue operation that followed, rescuers recovered six people who had lost consciousness and saved eight other foreign nationals — four men, two women and two children.

Rescuers transported the eight survivors to the port of Mytilene before taking them to hospital for medical treatment.

Among the survivors was a 37-year-old Turkish national whom the authorities identified as the suspected smuggler and operator of the speedboat. Police arrested him.

The Hellenic Coast Guard said no one remained missing following the incident.

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