At Least 43 Migrants Died after Boats to Europe Capsize

At least 43 migrants - with 17 of them being children - have drown after two boats capsized in different areas on Friday, the coastguards reported. Other outlets are reported that at least 45 migrants have died.

In one of the accidents, a coastguard stated, based on the testimonies of the survivors that the sailboat had failed by Kalolimnos, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, which is near the coast of Turkey. The guard added that with the help of fishing vessels, they were able to save 26 people but at least 35 had already drowned.

"They weren't wearing life jackets, I don't understand. They couldn't swim," Michalis, a local fisherman, who was involved with the rescue operation that lasted hours, said to Reuters. "The hospital is now full of dead people."

Micahlis was able to save three migrants from the water. One of them, however, died later on.

It is currently unclear as to how the boat capsized. One survivor said to APTV, reported by the New York Times that the engine had failed about five hours into their journey. The survivor said that adults paid $2,500 each for a spot. The price for children was a half of the fee.

In the other tragic incident that occurred a few hours earlier by the Greek Island, Farmakonisi, two women and six children died. A total of 40 migrants were able to swim to safety after the boat went down One girl was reportedly rescued by the authorities.

"Once again, last night ruthless human smugglers at the Turkish coast crammed dozens of refugees and migrants in risky and unseaworthy vessels and led innocent people, even young children to perish," the shipping ministry said in a statement.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), these two accidents involving migrants and refugees have contributed to "the deadliest January on record."

The IOM reported that since the beginning of 2015, 1,048,268 asylum seekers have arrived in Europe by using a sea route.