A young boy cries out for help with other refugees and migrants as their boat sinks off the Greek island of Lesbos island while crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey on October 30, 2015.
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At least 18 migrants from Syria, Iraq and Pakistan, including 10 children, drowned when the boat transporting them from Turkey to the Greek island of Kalymnos capsized, Turkish media reported Saturday.
Another 14 people, among them Syrians, Iraqis and Pakistanis, were pulled to safety by the Turkish coastguard, the Dogan news agency reported.
The migrants that drowned in two separate incidents reportedly hailed from Iraq and Syria.
Some 80,000 refugees were rescued off Turkish coasts this year alone, while more than 3,000 died on their way to Greek islands via Turkey, the Turkish coast guard said.
Despite the winter conditions and rougher seas, the exodus has continued, albeit at a slower pace.
European Union leaders on Thursday set a six-month deadline for deciding whether to push ahead with plans for a border guard agency that could deploy to member states unable or unwilling to manage their borders as thousands of migrants continue to arrive in Europe daily.
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According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 801 919 people have arrived in Greece by sea from the beginning of the year until December 17, with another 4256 having arrived by land.
