by Maria Spiliopoulou
ATHENS, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Eight refugees went missing on Thursday after a wooden boat capsized off the coast of Lesvos island in the Aegean Sea, the Greek Coast Guard said.
The wooden boat was carrying 39 people from Turkey's coast to Greece, according to initial accounts. It sank after colliding with a Greek Coast Guard vessel on rough seas.
Thirty-one people were rescued during an ongoing operation by the Greek Coast Guard and Frontex forces, according to Greek authorities.
The Greek Coast Guard said the collision happened when the Turkish smuggler tried to escape and resorted to dangerous maneuvers. It was still unclear whether he was among the survivors or the missing.
According to the latest 2015 data from the Greek Shipping ministry, Greek authorities have rescued 141,919 undocumented migrants and refugees on the Mediterranean Sea in 795 incidents this year alone. More than 3,000 people have perished.
Meanwhile, about 400,000 people have illegally entered Greece from the start of the year, fleeing war zones and hoping for a better future in Europe.
Athens has called for more support from European partners and cooperation in the wider region to tackle the crisis at its root.
However, the Greek government strongly rejected the idea of joint Greek-Turkish patrols in the Aegean Sea to deal with the challenge. The proposal has been outlined lately by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European officials. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker reiterated the idea on Wednesday in the European Parliament. But Greece fears that such a collaboration would complicate bilateral differences over sovereignty issues.
"That would mean that Turkish ships would be sailing in our territorial waters. This could have long-term consequences," Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said during an interview with local radio station Alpha on Thursday.
"Cooperation for addressing the humanitarian crisis of war refugees should by no means cause discounts or concessions in terms of the sovereignty of the member states," stressed Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos at an awards ceremony honouring Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn for his efforts in dealing with the crisis during Luxembourg's EU presidency.
