A boat with migrants sank near the Greek island of Samos, killing 6 children and 2 adults

Eight people, including six children, died when a boat carrying migrants sank off the Greek island of Samos

SAMOS, Greece — On Monday, eight people, including six children, died off the coast of the Greek island of Samos when a boat carrying immigrants sank.

The coast guard said 36 survivors had been found on the rocky coast, while three others had been rescued earlier. It was not immediately clear whether other people were still missing.

A patrol vessel, a lifeboat, a navy ship, a helicopter and a shore crew are involved in the ongoing rescue operation, he added. Authorities confirmed that the bodies of six children and two adult women had been found.

Samos and other islands in the eastern Aegean serve as key transit points for migrants illegally crossing into the European Union from nearby Turkey. Migrant crossings have increased in recent months, with Greek officials attributing the start to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.