Athens, 25 December 2021 (dpa/MIA) - The Greek government criticized Turkey after the death of at least 30 migrants in the Aegean Sea in recent days. Dozens of people are missing, the Greek coast guard said on Saturday. "Smuggling gangs continue their criminal activity unhindered. They are murderers," Greek Shipping Minister Giannis Plakiotakis told Greek television. He said Turkey was failing to prevent the departure of such boats, while smugglers were using old and dangerous vessels without rescue equipment on board. Fishermen and the coast guard recovered 16 bodies on Friday night after a refugee boat capsized off Paros. The deaths came after 11 people drowned northwest of Crete on Thursday, while 90 people managed to reach a rocky island. Three migrants drowned on Wednesday when another boat sank in the Aegean Sea near the island of Folegandros. The death toll may rise as dozens of people are still missing. Frequent accidents occur when migrants try to reach the Greek or Italian mainland from the Turkish Aegean coast or from elsewhere in the eastern Mediterranean, as this avoids a potentially long stay in one of the refugee camps on the Greek islands. However, the long journey across the Mediterranean often results in boats experiencing engine failure, leaving migrants to drift on the rough sea exposed to the elements. The Greek coastguard estimates that around 11,000 people have managed to reach Italy through this route from Turkey in recent months. There are no official figures on how many people have died in the process, however.