AT least 16 people died when a migrant boat sank in the Aegean Sea, said coastguards in Greece today, just hours after a similar incident claimed 11 lives.

The latest tragedy – the third since Wednesday – came amid high smuggler activity not seen in months in Greek waters.

Coastguards found 16 remains late yesterday, including three women and a baby, and rescued 63 people from a boat that overturned and sank near Paros, according to Athens News Agency.

Hours earlier, 11 remains were recovered from a boat that ran aground on an islet north of Antikythera on Thursday.

Coastguards said 90 individuals stranded on the islet have been rescued.

A dinghy carrying migrants capsized off Folegandros on Wednesday, killing at least three.

Greek authorities said 13 people were rescued, while dozens remain missing.

United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said the Folegandros accident is the worst in the Aegean Sea this year.

“This shipwreck is a painful reminder that people continue to embark on perilous voyages in search of safety,” said UNHCR assistant representative in Greece Adriano Silvestri.

Yesterday, coastguards had intercepted another boat with 92 men and boys on board after it ran aground on the coast of the Peloponnese peninsula.

Three suspected smugglers who fled the boat on foot were later arrested.

UNHCR estimates that more than 2,500 people have died or gone missing at sea in their attempt to reach Europe from January to November this year.

Nearly one million people, mainly Syrian refugees, arrived in the European Union in 2015, after crossing to Greek islands close to Turkey.

“These days, the criminal activity of smugglers, who are indifferent to human lives, has intensified, stacking dozens of distressed people, without life jackets, on boats that do not even meet the basic safety standards,” Maritime Affairs Minister Giannis Plakiotakis said yesterday. – AFP, December 25, 2021.