Eight drown in Aegean storm
The bodies of eight people were recovered yesterday from the southeastern shores of Samos after a boat carrying illegal immigrants from Turkey to Greece capsized on Wednesday night. Rescuers were still searching yesterday evening for possible survivors after a Georgian-flagged cargo ship pulled one man from the sea alive near the eastern Aegean island. The survivor, who said he was Palestinian, explained that he had been in a rubber dinghy with 10-12 other people when the vessel capsized during a storm on Wednesday night. Gale-force winds hampered the search and rescue operation yesterday. The bodies, of six men, one woman and a girl, were discovered near the area of Potokaki by coast guards. It was not clear if they were also Palestinian. It is estimated that more than 500 people have drowned trying to reach Greece from Turkish shores over the past three years.
