Four dead, including two children, in latest migrant shipwreck on Greek island

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Four people, including two children, have died after a boat carrying migrants ran aground on a rocky shoreline on the eastern Greek island of Samos, officials said Thursday.

Sixteen people were rescued, but it remained unclear how many were aboard the boat. The Greek coast guard launched a search-and-rescue operation involving patrol vessels, lifeboats, and land teams to locate any potential missing passengers.

It marks the second deadly incident involving migrants on Samos this week. On Monday, eight migrants —, six children and two women — died in a shipwreck off the island.

Samos and other Greek islands in the eastern Aegean Sea are key transit points for migrants crossing from Turkey to the European Union, with arrivals in recent months that Greek authorities say is linked to ongoing wars in the Middle East and parts of Africa.