The rescued migrants were taken to a port facility on Samos, while a search and rescue operation for the missing was ongoing, a coastguard official said on condition of anonymity.

In a separate incident, the coastguard located on Saturday a speedboat with migrants sailing off the island of Chios. Following a pursuit, Greek authorities found 20 migrants, including two children, who had landed on Chios.

Greece has been a favoured gateway to the European Union for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia since 2015 when nearly one million people landed on its islands mainly through neighbouring Turkey.

Numbers dropped significantly before rising again last year to 41,561 arrivals by sea. Some 10,854 migrants have reached Greece by sea so far this year.