Toddler dies after refugee boat shipwrecked on rocks of Lesbos

A small child has died in a boat accident on the coast of the Greek island of Lesbos.

According to the Greek coastguard on Saturday, a small boat with 35 migrants on board was wrecked on rocks in stormy winds. A total of 34 people managed to reach the shore and notified the authorities.

The toddler had been pushed onto the rocks by the waves. The incident occurred on Friday, the authorities said. The death of the child was also confirmed by the island's hospital.

It was not initially known which countries the migrants came from.

On Thursday, the Greek coastguard had already rescued 97 migrants from distress near the Cyclades island of Kea, about 80 kilometres from Athens.

Smugglers repeatedly use barely seaworthy boats to bring migrants to Greece, or even further to Italy.

According to estimates by the Greek coastguard, the number of drowned and missing migrants in the eastern Mediterranean has exceeded 300 since the beginning of the year, more than double the number from the previous year.

In 2021, a total of 115 people died or could not be found, according to statistics from the UN Refugee Agency.