(ANSA-AFP) - ATHENS, APR 3 - 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.
(ANSA-AFP).
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