Woman, child drown; 41 rescued

A woman and child have drowned and 41 people were rescued after a boat carrying migrants from Turkey sank off the Greek island of Leros, Greece's coastguard said yesterday. Among the survivors, six children and two adults were transferred to hospital in Leros, the coastguard said, adding that search operations were still underway. Three rescue boats and a helicopter have been deployed but progress is being hampered by strong winds and choppy seas in the Mediterranean. A fisherman raised the alarm after discovering the lifeless body of the woman floating at sea, according to local press reports. Eye witnesses reported seeing an inflatable boat carrying around 40 migrants, including children and people with reduced mobility aboard. "Unfortunately, once again we have innocent victims who have lost their lives because of the criminal behaviour of traffickers," Greece's Merchant Navy Minister Yannis Plakiotakis said.