8 dead, 18 rescued as speedboat carrying migrants capsizes near Greek island of Rhodes

ATHENS, Greeece — A speedboat carrying migrants capsized Friday morning off the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, leaving eight dead, Greek authorities said.

The coast guard said the incident occurred while the speedboat was carrying out “dangerous maneuvers” to try and evade a patrol vessel, causing migrants to fall into the sea. Eighteen of the migrants were rescued.

Rescue workers on three coast guard vessels and a helicopter were working near the resort area of Afantou Beach in the northeast of the island. It was unclear whether other passengers were missing, authorities said.

Shipping Minister Christos Stylianides said a child was among the dead. Authorities confirmed that two of the survivors were arrested on people smuggling charges.

“Tragically, once again, the ruthless trafficking network has sacrificed eight human lives today, including a young child, in pursuit of illegal profit,” he said. “We are determined to resolutely address the major problem of illegal migration that has exceeded the European Union’s capacity to cope.”

Eight of the survivors were hospitalized, local officials said, with one of them in critical condition, according to state-run television.

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.

Authorities in Athens are bracing for a spike in migrant arrivals as a result of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The coast guard said 120 migrants were rescued in three separate incidents off Greek islands in the past 24 hours.

The sinking off Rhodes was the second deadly incident involving migrants in the past week.

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.