20 refugees die in boat sinking incidents

At least 20 refugees, including two children, have drowned after their boats capsized on their way from Turkey to Greece.

A Greek coastguard official said on Friday that the bodies of eight people, including two children, were found near the island of Kalolimnos. The official added that 26 people have been rescued while there is no clear report about the number of people onboard the wooden sailboat.

In another development on Thursday, at least 12 other refugees, including five children, died on Thursday after their boat overturned off Turkey’s western coast, the Turkish coastguard said. The boat sailed from Aliaga in Turkey’s Izmir province with some 50 refugees from Iraq and was on its way to Greece’s Lesbos Island.

A pregnant woman was among the victims, and according to the coastguard, the rescue process continues.

Turkey has become a launching point for refugees trying to reach Europe’s front states of Greece and Italy. Most of the refugees then try to reach Germany through Balkan states.

Thousands of people are still taking dangerous boat journeys to reach Europe through the Mediterranean despite weather conditions and crackdown on illegal crossings. 

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said some 24,000 people crossed the Mediterranean in the first two weeks of January. The Turkish coastguard said some 40 refugees have died so far this year off Turkey’s coast.

Europe is facing an unprecedented influx of refugees, most of whom are fleeing conflict-ridden zones in Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria. A number of European countries have adopted harsh policies in dealing with the increasing number of refugees.

Officials in European countries are struggling to forge a united response to the record numbers of refugees.

On Thursday, Denmark parliament passed a resolution that will force the government to put forward a proposal by March to build certain villages and move refugees out of town and cities.

Meanwhile, the Danish city of Randers made pork mandatory on municipal menus, including in schools and daycare centers. The officials claimed that the move was necessary to keep the country’s food tradition.

This is while most of the refugees who arrived in Denmark are Muslims and pork is forbidden to Muslims.

In Slovenia, a new rule came into effect on Thursday that only allows refugees wishing to seek asylum in Germany or Austria to enter the country.

Similar restrictions were reportedly implemented in Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia.

According to figures released by the IOM, more than one million refugees reached Europe’s shores in 2015, while over 3,700 people either died or went missing in their perilous journeys to the continent.

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