Two young Afghan immigrants drowned this week trying to reach a Greek island near the Turkish coast in an inflatable boat,maritime authorities said on Friday.
The bodies were discovered on Wednesday on the shoreline of the eastern Aegean island of Lesbos after a violent storm had hit the region. A small inflatable boat was found nearby.
The two victims, aged 18 and 20, were identified by other Afghan immigrants presently being housed in a temporary shelter in the capital city of Mitilini, Greece's merchant marine ministry said.
Cases of would-be immigrants drowning in Greek waters have become increasingly common as a steady inflow of immigrants from Asia try to reach western Europe, often via Turkey.
The day before the bodies were found, Greek officials announced that the coastguard had intercepted 124 illegal immigrants on Aegean islands.
According to Greek government figures 13,000 would-be immigrants arrived by land and a further 10,000 by sea in 2006 alone.