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Six migrants, including infant, die after boat collision off Greece's Lesvos
On Monday, six migrants died after a speedboat from Turkey collided with a Greek coast guard vessel and overturned off the island of Lesvos, Greek authorities said.
The accident occurred about 3.5 nautical miles south of Agrilia, Lesvos; rescuers recovered the bodies of four men, one woman, and one infant, while eight people survived.
Authorities arrested a 37-year-old Turkish national among the survivors, identifying him as the suspected smuggler and operator of the boat.
Greek Shipping Minister Vassilis Kikilias blamed migrant traffickers for the deaths, vowing "zero tolerance" towards smugglers as the investigation continues.
Greece has long served as a gateway to Europe for migrants from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, with nearly 1 million people landing on its islands during the 2015-16 crisis.
Six of them died as a result of the collision between their boat and a police patrolman off the island of Lesbos. The other six victims were aboard a small boat that turned upside down off the island of Samo.