One migrant dies, 25 are rescued off Greek island

Greece has recovered the body of one migrant and rescued 25 as it searched for at least four others believed missing after their boat sank off the island of Samos, the coast guard said on Sunday.

The rescued migrants were taken to a port facility in Samos while a search and rescue operation for the missing was underway, a coast guard official said on condition of anonymity.

In a separate incident, the coast guard found a speedboat carrying migrants sailing off the island of Chios on Saturday. After a chase, Greek authorities found 20 migrants, including two children, who had landed on Chios.

Greece has been a preferred gateway to the European Union for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia since 2015, when almost 1 million people arrived on the islands mainly through neighboring Turkey.

The numbers fell significantly before rising again last year to 41,561 arrivals by sea. So far this year, 10,854 migrants have reached Greece by sea. (Reuters)