United Nations data put arrivals in Greece at about 25,000 through Oct. 11 as two Aegean boat incidents killed at least 12 migrants on Oct. 19, highlighting the risks of the crossing.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) counted about 25,000 arrivals through Oct. 11 this year, compared with about 42,000 during 2025. The incidents off Lesbos and Samos were reported earlier by EconoTimes.
Near Lesbos, a boat carrying migrants collided with a Greek coast guard vessel. The coast guard reported six deaths — four men, a woman and an infant — and said eight people were rescued. Shipping and Island Policy Minister Vassilis Kikilias said preliminary evidence indicated the boat’s bow struck the patrol vessel’s left side. The circumstances of the collision remain under investigation.
A separate boat capsized near Samos, killing five men and a woman. Fourteen people survived, and rescue crews continued searching nearby waters.
Authorities arrested a 37-year-old Turkish survivor of the Lesbos collision on suspicion of operating the boat and smuggling migrants. Kikilias blamed traffickers for the Lesbos deaths and said Greece would not tolerate smugglers.
The Greek coast guard reported 15 deaths after a collision off Chios on Feb. 3. Its investigation into the Lesbos collision and the search near Samos were continuing.
