(Kathimerini) An estimated 11,900 refugees and migrants crammed onto 120 yachts or sailboats are believed to have made it from Turkey to Italy via Greece this year, as the method has been gaining popularity among migrant smuggling rackets on the other side of the Aegean, despite the danger involved.
These risks were brutally highlighted last week, when three separate wrecks in Greek waters resulted in the death of 30 people, with dozens feared missing.
In the most recent incident, a small catamaran sank on Friday off the coast of Paros — an area that is off the usual smuggling route across the southern part of the Aegean. The 7-8 meter vessel must have been carrying at least 79 passengers, as 63 have been rescued and 16 have been confirmed dead.
