Latest tragedy sees 28 drown when wooden boat sinks off Greek coast

Twenty-eight refugees drowned off a Greek island yesterday when their boat sank, the coastguard said, thought to be the largest recorded death toll from any single accident in Greek waters since the refugee crisis began.

“A wooden vessel carrying them overturned about three miles east of Farmakonisi,” a coastguard spokeswoman told Reuters.

The accident coincided with a plea from Greek caretaker prime minister Vasiliki Thanou for the EU to agree a comprehensive policy for dealing with the increasing numbers fleeing to the region.