A migrant boat sinks near the Greek island of Samos, killing 6 children and 2 adults

SAMOS, Greece -- Eight people, including six children, died when a small boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of the Greek island of Samos, officials said Monday.

The coast guard said 36 survivors were found on a rocky shoreline, while three others were rescued earlier. It was not immediately clear whether others were still missing. The nationalities of the people on the boat were not known.

An ongoing rescue operation involves a patrol vessel, a lifeboat, a navy ship, a helicopter and land crews, it said. Authorities confirmed the recovery of the bodies of six children and two adult women.

Greece's Minister for Migration Nikos Panagiotopoulos deplored the incident and pledged tougher action against organized migrant-smuggling groups.

“The shipwreck on Samos, with the loss of eight innocent lives, including six children, fills us with sadness and anger,” he said. “The unscrupulous criminals who trade in human lives will meet with our determination to eradicate (their activities).”

Samos and other islands in the eastern Aegean Sea serve as key transit points for migrants entering the European Union illegally from the nearby Turkish coast.

Migrant crossings have increased in recent months, with Greek officials attributing the rise to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.

According to United Nations data, more than 54,000 people have entered Greece illegally so far by sea or land this year. Most arrive in small boats from Turkey, although there has been an increase in Mediterranean crossings from Libya — a longer and riskier journey.

In the whole of 2023, almost 49,000 people arrived in Greece illegally.