Coast Guard Command

Three people were rescued while one was missing after the tourist boat sank in the eastern Aegean on Tuesday afternoon.

The four passengers were Turkish nationals, according to state-run broadcaster ERT. They all ended up in the water when the vessel capsized in unclear circumstances. 

A speedboat carrying migrants collided with a coast guard vessel on Friday night near the island of Kos, in the eastern Aegean, it was announced on Monday.

According to a coast guard statement, the inflatable speedboat "intentionally collided" with one of its vessels, causing all the migrants to fall into the sea.

Turkish authorities said on Sept. 26 they have expressed their strong disapproval to Greece "at all levels and in the strongest terms" over recent territorial water violations in the Aegean Sea.

"Claims that the necessary steps were not taken following the violations do not reflect the truth," read a statement issued by Türkiye's Foreign Ministry.

The Turkish Minister of Interior and Migration expressed his disapproval regarding a Greek Coast Guard vessel entering Turkish territorial waters, stating that “behaviors aimed at violating our territorial waters cannot be accepted.”

Specifically, in a post on the platform “X,” Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote the following:

Coast guard on the island of Lesvos have located 27 migrants and arrested a suspected smuggler, after the vessel being captained by the latter collided with a patrol boat and sank.

On Monday evening, the coast guard were informed that a speedboat had been spotted coming from the Turkish coast heading towards Sykamia, in the north of the island.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has expressed Ankara's growing discontent over recent violations of Turkish territorial waters by the Greek Coast Guard during its operations targeting migrant boats.

The Turkish Coast Guard units have intercepted 188,939 irregular migrants in the past five years, with 39,000 apprehended in the first eight months of this year alone, as they attempted to cross into Europe.

According to the command's data, authorities have referred 296 suspected human traffickers, accused of orchestrating these illicit crossings, to judicial authorities this year.

A Hellenic Coast Guard patrol vessel entered Turkish waters near Bodrum on Friday morning during the pursuit of a speedboat allegedly involved in migrant smuggling.

Reportedly, the incident occurred at 11 a.m., with the Coast Guard vessel reaching approximately 50 meters from the shore, surprising beachgoers who recorded the vessel and notified Turkish authorities.

One migrant died after smugglers piloting a speedboat from Turkey to an Aegean Sea island forced their passengers into the sea on Tuesday to avoid detection by marine patrols, Greek authorities said.

The remaining 30 migrants on the vessel were unhurt, a coast guard statement said.

A 42-year-old Turkish national trying to swim from the coast of Turkey to the Greek island of Symi has been rescued by Greece's coast guard.

The coast guard vessel, on a regular patrol, found the man, on Monday morning, calling for help. He was wearing a tube floating device.