GREECE’S coastguard said on Saturday that it was searching for survivors of a capsized speedboat a day earlier involving migrants off the eastern Greek island of Rhodes.

The capsizing, the result of the boat’s manoeuvring to evade a patrol vessel, according to authorities, left eight confirmed dead with the vessel later sinking.

A total of 18 people — 12 men, three women and three minors, all Afghan nationals — were rescued, the coastguard said. The dead were also from Afghanistan.

Some migrants remained hospitalised, with one in critical condition, authorities said.

Two Turkish citizens, aged 23 and 19, were arrested as the suspected traffickers. 

The sinking off Rhodes was the second deadly incident involving migrants in the past week.

Seven people were killed and dozens were believed missing after a boat partially sank south of the island of Crete over the weekend — one of four rescue operations during which more than 200 people were rescued.

A search south of Crete around the tiny island of Gavdos was called off on Wednesday.

The number of irregular arrivals into Greece is expected to top 60,000 this year, with Syrians making up the largest number, followed by Afghans, Egyptians, Eritreans and Palestinians, according to government data.