A 12-year-old boy was killed after a trafficker forced migrants to jump from a speedboat off the Greek island of Samos, state broadcaster ERT reported Monday.
The Hellenic Coast Guard said the vessel was carrying 38 migrants when a patrol boat approached.
The smuggler allegedly ordered passengers into the water before fleeing toward shore.
The child was fatally struck by the boat’s propeller.
Authorities transferred the boy’s body and 37 survivors to a local hospital and launched a manhunt for the trafficker.
Greece has been a major entry point for irregular migrants into the EU since 2015, with more than 1 million arrivals recorded.
Hundreds have died attempting the sea crossing.
The tragedy follows another incident Saturday, when Greek authorities recovered 17 bodies and rescued two migrants from a vessel off Crete.
According to Frontex, irregular migration flows along the Eastern Mediterranean route fell 25 percent in the first ten months of 2025 compared with 2024, with about 43,000 arrivals in Greek waters.
However, detections along the Libya-Crete corridor surged 272 percent year-on-year during the same period.