People-smuggler abandons 19 migrants off Greece: police

Athens: Greek maritime police on Sunday said that one migrant died and 18 others were rescued after a people smuggler abandoned them as they tried to cross the Aegean Sea.

“The man was recovered unconscious on Saturday evening off Farmakonisi, while three children, accompanied by one of the group, had to be transferred to hospital in Athens,” a coastguard spokeswoman told AFP.

“The other survivors -- 14 Afghans in all -- were transferred safe and sound to the Leros reception camp,” she added.

According to the survivors, the people-smuggler abandoned them on Saturday evening off the island of Agathonisi and turned back towards Turkey. The coastguard then began a search and eventually located the migrants.

Situated in the far southeast of Europe, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the Greek islands are a common passage for undocumented migrants coming from Asia and the Middle East on their way to western Europe.

Deaths are commonplace during the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean, which is one of the main migratory routes. Last year, 2,452 people were reported to have died, according to the UN.