Athens, Dec 29 (IANS) One person died while three remained missing after a migrant boat sank off the Greek island of Samos on Monday, according to the coast guard.

As many as 26 migrants reached shore in the Petalides area and informed authorities that others were still at sea, Euro News reported. The boat had capsized early Monday.

Coast guard vessels, a helicopter, a private boat and ground teams have started a search and rescue operation. Body of a woman was found during the search while search operations continued for other missing people.

Greece has remained a key entry point for migrants and refugees in the European Union since 2015, with over one million arrivals. Hundreds of people have died while attempting the sea crossing.

The incident comes after several migrant tragedies have been reported in Greek waters recently. As many as 28 people were rescued while three others remained missing after boat with irregular migrants from Turkey sank off the Greek island of Samos on December 16, Xinhua News Agency reported citing Greek authorities.

The Hellenic Coast Guard said that a search and rescue operation was launched to locate the missing ones. It further said that winds of up to force five on the Beaufort scale were impacting the area.

The coast guard said that migrants were found near the coastline after their boat crashed into rocks. The injured people were taken to a local hospital for treatment while an injured baby in serious condition was airlifted to Athens, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing local media outlet Samos Today.

On December 8, a 12-year-old boy died after being hit by a boat propeller as a smuggler allegedly forced migrants to jump from a speedboat off Samos. On December 6, Greek authorities found 17 bodies and rescued two migrants from a vessel off Crete.

--IANS

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