Six people, believed to have been refugees crossing the Mediterranean in an attempt to reach Europe, have been found dead off the eastern Greek island of Samos.
The bodies of two men and three women have been recovered by the Greek coast guard who are still trying to recover a sixth body in rough seas, a spokeswoman said Saturday.
On Thursday, the bodies of nine people, some of whom may have drowned up to 10 days earlier, were found on Turkey’s western coast as the flow of Europe-bound migrants persisted despite rough winter weather.
The number of people who have died while trying to cross the Mediterranean to more than 60 in the first two weeks of this year.
Samos, which lies very close to the Turkish coast, is one of the main points of entry for migrants and refugees, most refugees from Syria and Iraq.
While winter crossings are even riskier than in summer, more than 24,000 crossed the Mediterranean to Greece and Italy in the first two weeks of January, said IOM spokesman Joel Millman.
