The bodies of six people have been recovered from the sea off a Greek island in the eastern Aegean after the sinking of a suspected people-smuggling boat, Greece’s coastguard said.

A large search and rescue operation was under way to locate about a dozen more people believed missing.

The bodies of four children, one man and one woman were recovered off Agathonisi, south of the island of Samos, the coastguard said. Three people, two women and a man, managed to reach the coast and alert authorities.



The three told authorities they had been in a wooden boat, which sank with an estimated 21 people on board. The reasons for the sinking were not immediately clear, and authorities said the total number of people who had been on board was also unclear.

Three aircraft, Greek navy and coastguard vessels, a vessel from the European border agency Frontex and private boats were scouring the area to search for the missing.

Despite a two-year deal between the EUric and Turkey designed to stop the flow of migrants and refugees into Europe using the popular route from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands, dozens and sometimes hundreds of people continue to make the journey each week. Most cross in rickety inflatable boats or other unseaworthy vessels.