In latest tragedy, kids’ bodies wash up in Greece

PARIS—The badly decomposed bodies of two children were found washed up on the Greek island of Kos on Sunday, the latest victims of a crisis that had seen 630,000 people enter the European Union (EU) illegally this year.

A dead baby boy, thought to be less than a year old, was discovered on a hotel beach early on Sunday, dressed in green trousers and a white T-shirt. The decomposed body of an older child, wearing blue trousers and a pink T-shirt, believed to be three to five years old, was found hours later at the same spot.

Authorities believe the children were from migrant families that had been trying to reach Kos by dinghy, Greek media reported. Both bodies have been transferred to a hospital for autopsy and DNA testing.

Greece has been struggling to cope with a wave of migrants making the dangerous crossing from Turkey.

The EU’s border chief Fabrice Leggeri said 630,000 people have entered the bloc illegally this year.

Over 310,000 of the migrants landed in Greece this year, according to UN refugee agency figures. Nearly 3,000 died or were reported missing during the crossing.

At least 15 babies and children drowned when their overcrowded boat capsized off the Aegean island of Farmakonisi in September, and Greece’s coast guard feared the problem would worsen with the onset of winter.