Turkish Smugglers Throw 31 Illegal Migrants Overboard Near Greek Island of Samos

One migrant was killed after smugglers driving a speedboat from Turkey to an island in the Aegean Sea pushed their passengers into the sea on Tuesday to avoid being checked by maritime patrols, Greek authorities said. The other 30 migrants on the boat were not injured, the coast guard said in a statement, Ekathimerini reported.

The incident occurred off the eastern Greek island of Samos, which is located near the coast of Turkey. The boat was discovered after migrants, including eight children, were thrown overboard by smugglers into the water. The smugglers' boat was stopped after a chase, during which the coastguard fired a warning shot that did not cause any injuries. Two Turks on the vessel, which was returning to Turkey, were arrested and charged with migrant smuggling and actions leading to death.

It is reported that 27 people managed to swim to the shore of Samos. Later, a search and rescue operation found three more living illegal immigrants and the body of one man in the water. No one else was reported missing.

Greece is the main entry point for illegal refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia seeking asylum in Europe. Most of the illegal immigrants enter by sea from neighbouring Turkey with the help of smuggling gangs that charge thousands of dollars per person for the crossing.

Following increased police control in Greece's eastern Aegean waters, smugglers have been using powerful speedboats to evade patrols for months. This has led to a series of clashes in which speedboats have rammed into coastguard vessels, and in one case a migrant was fatally wounded when the coastguard opened fire on a smuggling boat. Smugglers also cram dozens of migrants into sailing yachts that attempt to evade patrols as they head across the central Aegean Sea to Italy.