2 migrants die, 5 missing in Aegean boat wreck: Greek coastguard

Greece's coastguard on Monday said it had recovered the bodies of two migrants who drowned when their boat sank near the island of Lesbos, and was seeking five more who were missing.

Another eight people on the same boat were rescued, the coastguard said, without giving details on the nationality of the victims. Lesbos is one of several Greek islands overwhelmed in recent weeks by the influx of migrants and refugees, mainly from war-torn Syria.

Some 160,000 migrants and refugees have landed on Greek shores since January, with the authorities criticised by the UN and humanitarian groups for poor preparation that has left thousands of them sleeping on the street.

Syrian refugees receive priority in securing passage off the islands, but other nationalities such as Afghans and Pakistanis are stranded for weeks waiting to be registered. Clashes between migrants have repeatedly broken out on Lesbos with migrants desperate to leave the island and continue their journey to northern Europe.