The death toll after the sinking of two boats with migrants on board on Wednesday and Thursday in Greece has risen to 29, after six more were found today, the Greek coast guard said.
The bodies were recovered near the island of Cythera, in the southern Peloponnese peninsula, where a sailing ship carrying 95 migrants ran aground overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.
On Friday, five bodies had been found in the same area.
Searches were hampered by poor weather conditions.
On Thursday, rescue teams rescued dozens of survivors trapped at the foot of a cliff, mainly from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.
One of them, suspected of being a smuggler, has been arrested, state television Ert reported today.
Multiple shipwrecks victimizing migrants trying to reach Europe through Greece have heightened tension between neighboring Greece and Turkey over sea borders and migration.
Ministers from Mediterranean countries defended today that the European agency Frontex needs to work within third countries to prevent smugglers from endangering the lives of migrants by sending them to Europe on risky boat trips.
According to the Associated Press, the rulers of Spain, Greece, Italy, Malta and Cyprus, countries that receive the majority of immigrants arriving through the southern and southeastern borders, will propose to the leaders of the European Union (EU), at the end of this month, the creation of asylum application centers in neighboring countries from which successful applicants can safely reach Europe.
Source: TSF
