The bodies of two women, declared missing after a boat carrying dozens of migrants and refugees capsized off the coast of the Greek island of Lesvos on Wednesday, were later recovered by the Hellenic Coast Guard.
After a long search, the body of the first young woman was found on Wednesday afternoon, and the second on Thursday. The women were both from Somalia, and were just 20 years of age.
In total, the Hellenic Coast Guard recovered 32 survivors, including 14 women and three children, all of whom were from the east African country of Somalia. The country has been marred by extreme violence and poverty for many decades.
Migrants and refugees fleeing violence, war, hunger, and destitution in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa have long traveled to Greece as a route to the European Union. Figures recently released by Frontex signal a drop in arrivals to the Mediterranean country, however.
According to Frontex, the rate of refugees entering into Greece decreased 74% in the first ten months of 2020 compared to figures from the previous year.
In 2020, around 17,000 people, risking their lives on dangerous routes, have crossed intro Greece’s borders in the period between January and October.
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