Athens, Mar 1 (AP) Greece's coast guard said six bodies were found Tuesday on the shore of the eastern island of Lesbos, and authorities suspect the people were migrants who died while attempting to get to Greece from the nearby Turkish coast.

The coast guard said the bodies of the three men and three women were recovered near the island's main town of Mytilene.

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None of the six had been wearing life jackets. There were no signs of a shipwreck, and no emergency numbers received a call about a boat in distress near the island, the coast guard said.

A search and rescue operation was launched in the area with three coast guard patrol boats, a helicopter and nearby ships to look for potential survivors.

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The nationalities and identities of the people who died was not immediately known.

“We are deeply saddened that six people drowned," Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said in a statement, adding that authorities were working with international organisations to establish the victims' identities and contact their families.

“Every life lost at sea is a tragedy and reinforces the need to smash the illegal trafficking gangs that exploit vulnerable people and cause such suffering,” Mitarachi said.

Thousands of people fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa, the Middle East and Asia attempt to reach the European Union through Greece each year, with many making the short but often perilous journey in unseaworthy dinghies from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands.

“It is time for the European Union and international organisations to act, stopping such crossings from Turkey, a safe country," Mitarachi said.(AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)