THE capsizing of a boat carrying migrants from the Turkish coast to a nearby Greek island left seven people dead, including two children, Greece’s coastguard said today.

Some 23 people were rescued from the sea.

A search and rescue operation north of the island of Lesbos recovered the bodies of two women and two children — a boy and a girl — the coastguard said.

The weather in the area was reported to be good, so it was unclear what had caused the boat to overturn early today. 

There was no immediate information on the number of people on the boat, their nationalities or what type of vessel it was.

Search and rescue efforts continued on sea and land, with three coastguard vessels, an air force helicopter and a nearby boat seeking any further victims.

Greece is one of the main entry points into the European Union for migrants, with many making the short but often treacherous journey from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands in inflatable dinghies. 

The Greek government has cracked down with increased patrols at sea and many smuggling rings have shifted to using larger boats to transport people from north Africa to southern Greece.