Greece: 8 killed as speedboat carrying migrants capsizes off Rhodes island near Turkey, 18 rescued

At least 8 people were killed after a speedboat carrying migrants capsized Friday morning off the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, Greek authorities said.

The incident happened as the boat was performing “dangerous maneuvers” to avoid a coast guard patrol, causing the migrants to fall into the sea.

According to reports, eighteen people were rescued, and rescue teams using coast guard vessels and a helicopter searched near Afantou Beach. Eight survivors were hospitalised, one in critical condition, the officials said. It remains unclear whether other passengers are missing.

Rhodes, one of several large Greek islands located near the coast of Turkey, is on a busy illegal smuggling route in the eastern Mediterranean.

At the main port of the island, police and ambulance workers held up sheets of gray tarp as the recovered bodies were carried into an ambulance.

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It was the second deadly incident involving migrants in the past week, as authorities in Athens brace for a spike in arrivals as a result of wars in the Middle East.

Seven migrants were killed and dozens are believed to be missing after a boat partially sank south of the island of Crete over the weekend – one of four rescue operations during which more than 200 migrants were rescued.

The search south of Crete around the tiny island of Gavdos was called off Wednesday.

The number of migrants traveling illegally to Greece is expected to top 60,000 this year, with Syrians making up the largest number, followed by Afghans, Egyptians, Eritreans and Palestinians, according to government data.

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With inputs from agencies.