A migrant boat sinks near the Greek island of Samos, killing 6 children and 2 adults

SAMOS, Greece — Eight people, including six children, died when a boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of the Greek island of Samos, officials said Monday.

The coast guard said 36 survivors were found on a rocky shoreline, while three others were rescued earlier. It was not immediately clear whether others were still missing.

An ongoing rescue operation involves a patrol vessel, a lifeboat, a navy ship, a helicopter and land crews, it said. Authorities confirmed the recovery of the bodies of six children and two adult women.

Samos and other islands in the eastern Aegean Sea serve as key transit points for migrants entering the European Union illegally from nearby Turkey. Migrant crossings have increased in recent months, with Greek officials attributing the rise to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.