Turkey's tolerance of unscrupulous smugglers' networks is costing lives, Greece's shipping minister Yanis Plakiotakis said of the two migrant boat accidents near the islands of Lesbos and Kythira, in which 17 people died, dozens are missing and more than 80 have been rescued. .

In the first accident near Lesbos, according to official information from the Greek Coastal Service, the lifeless bodies of 16 women and one child were recovered, and nine women were rescued.

Regarding the second shipwreck near the island of Kitira, 80 people were rescued, of which 55 men, 18 children and seven women, and 11 of those rescued were transferred to the hospital.

In both cases, the coastal rescue operation continues.

Grija's Minister of Maritime Affairs stated in a written statement that as long as the Turkish Coast Guard does not stop them, "smugglers continue to put unfortunate people, without any safety measures, in boats that do not withstand the weather conditions, putting lives in mortal danger."

- The superhuman efforts of the members of the coast service, the navy, the air force, the fire brigade, the Greek police and the volunteers saved dozens of people on Kythira and Mytilini yesterday. But unfortunately, not all. Turkey must respect its agreement with the European Union. Until it does, it puts human lives at risk, Plakiotakis said.

The Minister of Migration and Asylum of Greece, Notis Mitarakis, also reacted to the two accidents, who via Twitter urgently called on Turkey "to take actions to prevent illegal departures during bad weather conditions", but also asked the EU to react.

-Today many lives are lost in the Aegean Sea, people drown in unseaworthy vessels. The EU must act, Mitarakis wrote on Twitter.

The Greek Coastal Service released a video of the rescue operation on the island of Kythira