Athens, Dec 16 : A total of 28 people were rescued, while three others remained missing, after a boat carrying irregular migrants from Turkey sank off the Greek island of Samos on Tuesday, Greek authorities said.

A search-and-rescue operation was underway to locate the missing ones, the Hellenic Coast Guard said, adding that winds of up to force 5 on the Beaufort scale were affecting the area, Xinhua News Agency reported.

According to the Coast Guard, the migrants were found near the coastline after their boat crashed into rocks. They were taken to a local hospital for first aid, while an injured baby in serious condition was airlifted to Athens, local media outlet Samos Today reported. The nationalities of the migrants have not yet been confirmed.

Greece has been a key entry point for irregular migrants and refugees into the European Union since 2015. Over the past decade, more than one million arrivals have been recorded, while hundreds of people have lost their lives during dangerous sea crossings.

Data released recently by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) showed that irregular migration flows through the Eastern Mediterranean declined by 30 per cent in the first 11 months of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024.

According to Frontex, about 46,200 arrivals have been recorded in Greek waters this year.

Last week, a 12-year-old boy died after a trafficker forced migrants to jump from a speedboat off the Greek island of Samos, the state broadcaster ERT reported on December 8.

According to the Hellenic Coast Guard (HCG), the vessel was carrying 38 migrants when a patrol boat approached. The smuggler then allegedly ordered the passengers to jump into the water before escaping toward the shore. The child suffered fatal injuries after being struck by the boat's propeller.

The boy's body and the 37 survivors were transferred to a local hospital. Authorities have launched a manhunt for the trafficker.

Greece has been a major entry point for irregular migrants and refugees into the European Union since 2015, with more than 1 million arrivals recorded. Hundreds have lost their lives attempting the sea crossing over the years.

The latest fatality followed another incident on December 6, when Greek authorities recovered 17 bodies and rescued two migrants from a vessel off Crete.

Recent data from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, shows that irregular migration flows along the Eastern Mediterranean route fell by 25 per cent in the first ten months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, with about 43,000 arrivals registered in Greek waters.

However, Frontex reported sharply increased activity along the Libya-Crete corridor, where detections rose by 272 per cent year-on-year during the same period.

/IANS