File photo.
Coast guard crews on Monday recovered the body of a migrant during a search and rescue operation for four people reported missing north of the eastern Aegean island of Samos. Details about the victim’s identity were not immediately known.
Authorities launched the operation after police located 26 migrants near Petalides beach along the island’s northern coastline. The group, who arrived by boat, told officials that four people who had been traveling with them were missing.
Samos lies about 6 miles (9.7 kilometers) off the Turkish coast and has long been used as an entry point for undocumented migrants seeking to reach Europe.
The search continued Monday with the involvement of a coast guard vessel, a helicopter and ground teams scanning coastal and inland areas, officials said.