More than a dozen migrants die as boats sink off Greece and Turkey

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Two boats carrying migrants sank in the early hours of Thursday in the narrow stretch of sea between Turkey and a nearby Greek island, leaving at least 16 people dead, one missing and more than 40 survivors, Greek and Turkish officials said. At least three children were among the dead.

The two accidents reportedly occurred several hours apart in the narrow stretch of the Aegean Sea between the Greek island of Lesbos and the Turkish coast, with authorities on either side unaware of the other nation’s rescue efforts.

On the Greek side, the country's coast guard said that in the early hours of Thursday, one of its patrol boats came across a small dinghy of about five meters in length that was taking on water, with many of its passengers having already fallen into the sea. Twenty-three people - 11 minors, eight men and four women - were rescued, while survivors told authorities that 31 people had originally been in the dinghy.

A sea and land search and rescue operation was launched, including helicopters, vessels from the coast guard and the FRONTEX European border agency, as well as vehicles and a diver. Authorities later recovered the bodies of seven people - three women, two boys, one girl and one man.

The coast guard said the search and rescue operation was continuing into Thursday evening for a young girl who survivors had reported as missing.

One of the survivors, identified only as a 20-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of being a migrant smuggler after other passengers allegedly identified him as having piloted the dinghy, the coast guard said.

Weather in the area was reported to have been good. The nationalities of those on board were not immediately known.

Separately in Turkey, the Canakkale governor’s office said the Turkish coast guard received an emergency call for help from a migrant boat early Thursday morning and deployed three boats and a helicopter.

The statement said that nine bodies had been recovered and the search for one missing person continued, while 25 people were rescued. Turkish media said the survivors were taken to a hospital in Turkey.

Greece is one of the main entry points into the European Union for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, with many making the short but often treacherous journey from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands in inflatable dinghies or other small boats. Many are unseaworthy, or set out in bad weather, and fatal accidents have been common.

The Greek government has cracked down with increased patrols at sea, and many smuggling rings have shifted their operations south, using larger boats to transport people from the northern coast of Africa to southern Greece.

Last year, more than 54,000 people used what has become known as the eastern Mediterranean route heading to Greece, and more than 7,700 crossed Greece's small land border with Turkey, according to figures from the U.N. refugee agency. There were 125 people reported dead or missing.

By March 30, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said there had been just over 8,000 people arriving in Greece by sea and 755 by land since the start of 2025.

Wilks reported from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration

A Greek coast guard vessel and a helicopter take part in a search and rescue operation, after the capsizing of a boat carrying migrants, off the coast on the northeastern Aegean Sea island of Lesbos, Greece, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Panagiotis Balaskas)

A Frontex vessel takes part in a search and rescue operation, after the capsizing of a boat carrying migrants, off the coast on the northeastern Aegean Sea island of Lesbos, Greece, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Panagiotis Balaskas)

Lifejackets lie at Petra port, after the capsizing of a boat carrying migrants, off the coast on the northeastern Aegean Sea island of Lesbos, Greece, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Panagiotis Balaskas)

A Frontex vessel takes part in a search and rescue operation, after the capsizing of a boat carrying migrants, off the coast on the northeastern Aegean Sea island of Lesbos, Greece, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Panagiotis Balaskas)

A Greek coast guard vessel takes part in a search and rescue operation, after the capsizing of a boat carrying migrants, off the coast on the northeastern Aegean Sea island of Lesbos, Greece, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Panagiotis Balaskas)

Frontex, foreground, and Greek coast guard vessels take part in a search and rescue operation, after the capsizing of a boat carrying migrants, off the coast on the northeastern Aegean Sea island of Lesbos, Greece, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Panagiotis Balaskas)

Lifejackets lie at Petra port, after the capsizing of a boat carrying migrants, off the coast on the northeastern Aegean Sea island of Lesbos, Greece, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Panagiotis Balaskas)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A tentative deal has been reached with the Florida Republican leading a bipartisan push to allow proxy voting in the U.S. House for new parents, potentially ending a standoff that halted legislative work for days and threatened to delay a vote this week to advance President Donald Trump's agenda.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who has been leading the bipartisan push on proxy voting, reached the deal, Luna said in a social media post on Sunday.

Rather than allow proxy voting, Luna said the agreement would formalize a “pairing” system long used in Congress where one member who is physically present in the House cancels out the vote of someone who is absent. Luna said the voting option would be open to all Republicans who are unable to vote, including new parents, the bereaved and lawmakers facing various medical and family emergencies.

“If we truly want a pro-family Congress, these are the changes that need to happen,” Luna said.

No further details were immediately available. It was also unclear if the deal would be agreed to by the other lawmakers who had signed on to the proxy voting proposal.

The agreement with Luna could end days of back-and-forth over allowing new parents in Congress to vote by proxy for 12 weeks as they care for their newborns. Johnson has vigorously opposed the effort, calling it an affront to the Constitution that would open “Pandora’s box."

But some Republicans refused to go along with Johnson's bid to kill the resolution, with nine of them defying him in a vote last week.

By reaching a deal, Republican leaders will likely be able to move ahead this week on key legislative priorities — most critically a revised version of the budget framework that opens the door to Trump’s push for trillions of dollars in tax breaks. The Senate approved that budget framework early Saturday morning after grinding through a late-night session.

Trump had said he was in favor of allowing proxy voting for new parents after speaking with Luna, though he said he would defer to Johnson how the House should operate. “I don’t know why it’s controversial,” Trump said.

Luna, who gave birth during her first term in Congress, had championed the proxy voting resolution alongside Democratic Rep. Brittany Pettersen of Colorado, who has a 4-month-old son. The effort drew significant bipartisan support, with 218 lawmakers — the majority of the House, many young parents themselves — signing onto a petition that could trigger a floor vote.

The resolution would allow proxy voting for lawmakers who have given birth or pregnant lawmakers who are unable to travel safely or have a serious medical condition. It would also apply to lawmakers whose spouses are pregnant or giving birth.

Pettersen, who has carried her son onto the floor during recent House votes, said the institution needs to change with the times. About a dozen women have given birth while in Congress over the years, and there are many new fathers as well.

“It is unfathomable that in 2025 we have not modernized Congress,” she said.

But Johnson, like GOP leaders before him, loathes proxy voting, which had been put in place for about two years during the COVID-19 lockdowns when Democrats had control of the House.

“It was quickly abused. Republicans put an end to it then, and we cannot allow it again,” Johnson said in a social media post.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., arrives before President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., speaks during a hearing of the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)