Greece’s coastguard says at least eight people have drowned after a speedboat carrying migrants tried to evade a coastguard patrol in the Aegean Sea.

The speedboat capsized, the coastguard said, after the boat driver “lost control” in the attempt to evade a Greek patrol vessel.

The boat was travelling at high speed and collided with the side of a Greek coastguard vessel as it was trying to get away, according to Greek media reports.

So far 18 people have been rescued from the sea, the coastguard said, with many of the survivors suffering from injuries after the incident.

Friday’s incident happened near the island of Rhodes, across from the Turkish coast, on a route that is often used by migrant smugglers.

A helicopter and coastguard ships are continuing the search for any further survivors.

Thousands of migrants trying to reach Europe die during the treacherous journey in the Mediterranean every year.

Last month eight people, including six children, were recovered after a migrant boat sank off the Greek island of Samos.

So far this year, more than 50,000 migrants have arrived in Greece by boat, making it the second most used European migrant route behind only Italy.

Migrant arrivals had been steadily declining since August 2023, but increased again since the summer, according to data from United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.

About 180,000 migrants have arrived in Europe by sea this year, agency figures show, while 2,000 people were dead or missing. Around 23% of arrivals were children.