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The migrants “put their lives in the hands of the smugglers” in order to escape from their dire conditions, said a U.N. refugee agency official, Barbara Molinario.

The number of migrants trying to reach Europe by sea is on track to hit a record this year, according to the IOM.

Greece has reported 134,988 arrivals from Turkey this year, it said.

On the Turkish beach, in the darkness well away from the shore early Saturday, two migrant smuggling boats appeared to be intercepted by another vessel and their passengers taken into custody. It was not immediately clear if Greek authorities were once again intercepting migrants at sea.

Later in the night, another inflatable dinghy setting off from the beach appeared close to sinking under the weight of its human cargo, which included at least one of the men forced off the earlier vessel. Three women jumped out and ran away shouting “No, no, no!,” clearly terrified at the prospect of making even the short crossing to Kos in the flimsy boat.

Their panic spread to other passengers, leaving just four men to bail out the water using only plastic paddles. Then, using a tiny electric motor, they steered the boat toward the lights of Kos. As the dinghy gathered speed, three men who had earlier abandoned ship waded through the warm water to clamber back on board.

Alfano, the Italian minister, told a news conference that as of Saturday, 103,000 migrants had been rescued at sea and brought to Italy in operations co-ordinated by the Italian coast guard. Along with a few other migrants landing in Spain and Malta, that means more than 243,000 people have crossed so far this year, compared to 219,000 for all of 2014.

In Libya, smugglers have taken advantage of the increased chaos and fighting among the North African nation’s tribes and militias, some of whom are loyal to the Islamic State group. The violence escalated after the 2011 ouster and killing of longtime Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Diplomatic efforts so far haven’t succeeded in forming a unity government out of the rival factions ruling different sections of Libya.

“Either the international community is able to resolve the Libyan question, or today’s (migrant tragedy) won’t be the last,” Alfano said.