One man and two children died on Thursday after the vessel they had been on sank in the sea off the east coast of Samos Island.
The Greek Coast Guard had picked up eleven migrants in the water, including three children, while one person was still missing. The two children died during their transportation to the island.
The migrants told Coast Guard officials there had been twelve people aboard the vessel. All the rescued people have been transferred to Samos Island.
Last week Greece’s Minister for Migration Policy, Dimitris Vitsas, said that the number of refugees and migrants landing on the Aegean islands has increased significantly.
There were a total of 1,485 new arrivals in February compared to 1,139 during the same period last year, and Vitsas stated that Samos is now “under particular pressure.”