One dead and three missing after migrant boat sinks off Greek island

One person died and three remained missing after a migrant boat sank off the Greek island of Samos early Monday, the coast guard said.

Twenty-six migrants reached shore in the Petalides area and alerted authorities that others were still at sea. The boat had sunk in the early morning hours.

Coast guard vessels, a helicopter, a private boat and ground teams launched a search and rescue operation. The woman's body was recovered during the search, whilst operations continued for the three missing people.

The nationalities of the migrants were not disclosed.

Greece has been a major entry point for migrants and refugees into the European Union since 2015, with more than 1 million arrivals recorded. Hundreds have died attempting the sea crossing.

Recent data from Frontex, the European border and coast guard agency, showed irregular migration flows through the eastern Mediterranean declined by 30% in the first 11 months of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, with about 46,200 arrivals recorded in Greek waters this year.

However, Frontex reported a sharp increase in activity along the Libya-Crete corridor, with detections rising by 272% year-on-year during the same period.

The incident follows several recent migrant tragedies in Greek waters. On 6 December, Greek authorities recovered 17 bodies and rescued two migrants from a vessel off Crete.

On 8 December, a 12-year-old boy died after being struck by a boat propeller when a smuggler allegedly forced migrants to jump from a speedboat off Samos.

One week later, 28 migrants were rescued and three remained missing after their boat crashed into rocks off Samos.