Greece: Death toll from capsized migrant boat rises to 16

By DEREK GATOPOULOS
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s coast guard says at least 16 people died after a migrant boat capsized in the Aegean Sea late Friday. The Greek coast guard said Saturday that 63 people were rescued after the boat turned over some 8 kilometers (5 miles) off the island of Paros. Survivors told the coast guard that about 80 people had been on the vessel. The boat was towed to a nearby port, and authorities said the search for survivors and victims continued. Smugglers who arrange sea crossings for Europe-bound asylum-seekers increasingly favor a perilous route from Turkey to Italy, avoiding Greece’s heavily patrolled eastern Aegean islands.