Representational Image - This February 17, 2012 file photo of the Greek Coast Guard shows a Greek air force Puma helicopter hovering during the rescue operation of the crew aboard the 60-meter French-flagged yacht "Le Yogi"
Athens, Greece:
Greece's coastguard on Tuesday said it helped rescue 24 migrants in the Aegean a day after a yacht bringing scores of migrants from Turkey capsized, killing at least 22 people. (Read: At Least 22 Dead as Yacht Carrying Greece Migrants Sinks)
Both incidents occurred near the Aegean island of Samos, a short distance from the Turkish coast.
Tuesday's rescue took place inside Turkish waters, with the migrants later handed over to a Turkish coastguard vessel, the Greek authorities said.
The migrants of unspecified nationality allegedly punctured their dinghy and fell into the water to force a rescue, the Greek coastguard said.
On Monday, at least 22 migrants including 12 women and four children drowned after the yacht carrying them towards Greek shores capsized.
The authorities have so far picked up 36 survivors from Somalia, Afghanistan and Syria out of an apparent group of 65 people but the rest are still missing.
Greece is one of the main ports of entry into the European Union for people fleeing war-torn and impoverished countries in Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.
People traffickers are using Greece's Aegean islands as a preferred route into Europe following a tightening of migration controls along its land border with Turkey.
Both incidents occurred near the Aegean island of Samos, a short distance from the Turkish coast.
Tuesday's rescue took place inside Turkish waters, with the migrants later handed over to a Turkish coastguard vessel, the Greek authorities said.
The migrants of unspecified nationality allegedly punctured their dinghy and fell into the water to force a rescue, the Greek coastguard said.
On Monday, at least 22 migrants including 12 women and four children drowned after the yacht carrying them towards Greek shores capsized.
The authorities have so far picked up 36 survivors from Somalia, Afghanistan and Syria out of an apparent group of 65 people but the rest are still missing.
Greece is one of the main ports of entry into the European Union for people fleeing war-torn and impoverished countries in Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.
People traffickers are using Greece's Aegean islands as a preferred route into Europe following a tightening of migration controls along its land border with Turkey.
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