Hundreds Rescued After Boat Capsizes Off Greece

The Greek coast guard says it has rescued 242 people after their wooden boat capsized near the island of Lesbos.

At least three people are said to be dead - it is unclear how many were on board the vessel when it sank.

The coast guard said rescuers were continuing to search for more survivors in windy conditions.

"We do not have a picture of how many people may be missing yet," a spokeswoman added.

The survivors were taken to the village of Molyvos on the northern coast of Lesbos where they were cared for in makeshift shelters.

Earlier, at least eight people, including six children, died as thousands continued to cross the Aegean Sea from Turkey in frail boats, in stormy weather.

The coast guard said three children and a man died off the coast of Samos, while 51 people on the same small boat were rescued.

A five-year-old girl also drowned in another incident off Samos, while a woman and two children drowned off the islet of Agathonissi.

A boy of seven died off Lesbos, while a 12-month-old girl was in critical condition in hospital from the same boat accident.

Greece is the main entry point for refugees and economic migrants from the Middle East and Africa seeking a better life in Europe.

More than half a million have arrived in the country so far this year.

Numbers have increased recently as refugees try to beat the onset of winter, with Lesbos – which is less than six miles (10 km) from Turkey - their main destination.

Greek shipping minister Thodoris Dritsas has called on the EU to adopt policies that will stop migrants putting their lives at risk.

"Europe's priority should be to safely relocate refugees from their countries of origin and transit to European Union members," he said.

At a summit last Sunday, EU leaders agreed to provide housing for 100,000 people, half in Greece.

But aid organisations say it barely addresses the problem of ensuring safe and legal routes for people seeking refuge.

"What we don't need in the wake of this tragedy is another 'extraordinary' meeting that leads to a dead end,” said Gauri van Gulik, Amnesty International's deputy director for Europe.

“What would be truly out of the ordinary - but completely necessary - is real and concerted action."