ATHENS: Four asylum seekers died Thursday in a migrant boat sinking near the Greek island of Lesbos, the coast guard said.
The coast guard in a statement said a boat with around 30 people on board had capsized in mild weather conditions near Lesbos, a short distance from the coast of neighbouring Turkey.
It said it had rescued 23 people and was looking for other survivors.
According to the UN refugee agency, nearly 9,000 people have entered the country since the start of the year, most of them by sea.
There were over 54,000 entries in 2024 according to the agency's figures.
Greece's conservative government has hardened the country's stance on migration.
"If you want to enter Greece illegally and are not entitled to asylum, we will do whatever we can to send you back where you came from," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in parliament on Wednesday.
"Smugglers and NGOs cooperating with them will not determine who enters our country," he said.