Two boat incidents near Greek islands killed 12 migrants on Oct. 19, while migration data showed more deaths and disappearances on Europe's sea routes this year despite fewer arrivals.
Six people died in a collision between a migrant boat and a Greek coast guard vessel near Lesbos. An infant was among the dead, and eight people survived. A separate boat capsized north of Samos, killing six people; 14 men survived.
Greek Shipping Minister Vassilis Kikilias said preliminary evidence indicated the migrant boat's bow hit the patrol vessel on its left side. He said investigators were still examining the circumstances. The Greek coast guard said a sudden maneuver preceded the Samos capsize. Reuters reported that a search was underway when it covered the incident.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) recorded at least 2,292 people dead or missing on the Mediterranean and Atlantic sea routes to Europe combined through Sept. 15, compared with 1,999 in the same period of 2025. Nearly 60,000 people arrived by sea over that period, down 39% from 98,040 a year earlier. The figures predate the Oct. 19 incidents.
The deaths, reported earlier by EconoTimes, followed a Feb. 3 collision off Chios in which 15 people died, according to the Greek coast guard. Kikilias said the Lesbos collision remains under investigation.
