Athens, 17 March, 2007 - The death toll in the latest attempt by illegal refugees to reach Europe via boat rose to nine on Sunday as coast guards found another three bodies near the Aegean island of Samos, Greek radio reported.

Earlier, the bodies of six people had been washed ashore on the island. At least one child was among the dead.

Eleven migrants had managed to swim ashore and alert the authorities following the accident of the wooden vessel which had departed from the nearby Turkish coast trying to enter Greece. Officials rescued two people, one man and one woman.

22 people had originally been aboard, according to one immigrant. The Ministry of Merchant Marine said the illegal immigrants were from Somalia.

Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants attempt to enter the European Union via Greece, mainly from Turkey, the Middle East and Africa. Hundreds die in the attempt.

Source: Deutsche Presse-Agentur