The bodies of at least eight people, including six children, have been found after a boat carrying migrants sank off the Greek island of Samos, the coast guard said.
About 40 people were rescued by authorities in an operation in the Aegean Sea that involved planes and boats, authorities said.
Strong winds have complicated rescue efforts.
An official said an NGO alerted authorities and it was believed there were about 50 people on board.
Greek migration minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos said the incident “saddens and angers us” and pledged to crack down on people smugglers.
Samos lies just off the Turkish coast and has long been a frequent destination for migrants trying to reach European soil.
More than 50,000 migrants have reached Greece by boat this year, making it the second most used migration route in Europe – behind only Italy.
Migrant arrivals have been steadily decreasing since August 2023, but have increased since the summer, according to data from the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.
The agency’s figures show that about 160,000 migrants have reached Europe by sea this year, while 2,000 have died or are missing.
About 23 percent of arrivals are children.
