At least 25 people have died after the latest refugee boat sinking off an eastern Greek island.

Coastguard vessels and boats from the European border patrol agency, Frontex, took part in a search and rescue operation off the island of Samos on Thursday. Ten people were rescued and at 25 bodies were recovered. It is believed there had been 45 people on the boat.

The coastguard said five of the rescued were found clinging to a piece of floating wood, leading authorities to believe they had been in a wooden vessel that sank. The survivors were in shock and unable to provide clear accounts of what happened. There was no information on their nation of origin.

On Wednesday another boat sank off the island of Kos, leaving seven dead, including two children. Two people were rescued in that incident.

Separately on Thursday, Italy’s navy rescued 290 people and recovered six bodies from the water near a half-sunk rubber boat, the first sea deaths recorded on the north Africa to Italy route this year, a spokesman said.

The navy rescued 109 people from a large rubber boat in the morning, and then 107 from a second boat a few hours later. When the navy arrived at a third rubber craft, it was sinking. They managed to pull 74 to safety, but six bodies were recovered from the water. A navy helicopter was continuing to search for survivors, the spokesman said.

Italy and Greece are on the frontline of Europe’s biggest immigration crisis since the second world war. Hundreds of people have died attempting to make the short but dangerous crossing from Turkey to Greece in unseaworthy, overcrowded vessels.

The sea route to Italy from Africa is even more dangerous. Of the more than 3,700 deaths in the Mediterranean in 2015, about 2,000 perished on the way to Italy from north Africa.

Some European countries have accused Greece of not doing enough to stem the flow of people. Athens has said it is both illegal and dangerous to attempt to turn back potential asylum seekers at sea, and that trying to do so would inevitably lead to yet more deaths.

Greece has asked for more help from other EU countries in the form of staff and equipment from Frontex, but says it has received far less than it needs.