A small boat carrying migrants hoping to get to Greece sank near the eastern island of Lesvos early yesterday, drowning 20 people.

The boat set off from the nearby Turkish coast carrying 27 migrants and its captain. It capsized a mile off the coast of Lesvos due to strong winds, according to a survivor.

Another survivor told coastguard authorities the immigrants were from Iraq and had paid $2000 each to be taken to the island. Greek coastguards found 20 bodies in the sea and were searching for any remaining survivors.