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One seven-year-old boy has drowned and one one-year-old girl is in the hospital on the Greek island of Lesvos in a life-threatening condition. The children have been found unconscious off the island, on a boat carrying 40 refugees on the high seas.

Thanks to the incredible efforts of the coast guard members and the first aid team, the two children have been rescued and transported to the health services on Lesvos, as reported by the Greek media.

Meanwhile the situation of the refugees who have disappeared in the sea off Agathonisi island seems to be more serious than originally considered. Five refugees have fallen into the sea and the coast guard have been able to save one little boy aged five years but, according to the service sources, two one-year-old babies are still missing as well as one five-year-old boy and one woman aged 61, who is probably their grandmother.

In parallel, the service is searching for two men in the open sea area near Samos. The rescue operations are conducted under the guidance of the Greek coast guard with the support of Frontex.

Earlier today, Greek Deputy Minister for Migration Yiannis Mouzalas stated for Skai TV that Athens had raised before its European partners the issue of relieving the strict budget constraints as compensation for the consequences of the refugee crisis.

In connection with the criticism of the outcome of the mini EU summit last Sunday Mouzalas said it was good, accounting for the present conditions and the pressure put on Greece. He stated that Alexis Tsipras was able to reject the idea of ​​creating a refugee camp with a capacity of 50-60,000 people in the region of Athens, which exceeds the 30,000 places for temporary reception planned by the government. "Instead, we committed to provide additional amounts for the rentals of 20,000 people," the Minister said. His words have made clear that it is not yet certain where these 30,000 reception places will be built, which have to be ready by the end of the year.

He avoided providing an explicit answer to the question as to whether these places will actually be temporary, stating that it was "a matter of dynamics" and adding that Greece would put efforts into the efficient and fast distribution of refugees in the rest of Europe.

Mouzalas assured he did not expect a "boom" of refugees in Athens except in particularly extreme circumstances, such as a "bombing of Damascus." In conclusion, he said that the Greek government was seeking to shift the search of a solution from Greece to Turkey, which in his words is the true gateway for the entry of refugees in Europe.