Greece Recovers Bodies Of Migrants After Collision Off Rhodes

Greece has recovered the bodies of eight migrants who fell into the sea after their speedboat collided with a coastguard boat pursuing it off the island of Rhodes, the coastguard said.

So far 18 people, among them two children and three women, have been rescued, the coastguard said.

Eight people were injured during the incident including a woman who was severely hurt, said a coastguard official speaking on condition of anonymity.

Report says most of the migrants on the boat were from Afghanistan.

Two people, both Turkish nationals, have been arrested on human trafficking accusations.

The migrant boat, sailing at high speed, collided with the coastguard vessel as it manoeuvred while trying to evade the officers pursuing it, said another coastguard official.

Greece, at the southern tip of the European Union, has long been a favoured gateway to Europe for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

In 2015 nearly 1 million people landed on its islands.

REUTERS/Christopher Ojilere