March 07, 2019 - 12:32 AM
ATHENS, Greece - The Latest on the flow of migrants into Europe (all times local):
10:20 a.m.
A newspaper is reporting that German authorities received about 7,000 indications that migrants coming to the country had committed war crimes in their home countries but that only 129 of these cases were investigated.
Bild reported Thursday that the country's office for migration and others reported these hints to federal prosecutors and the federal office of criminal investigation between 2014 and early 2019.
The information was contained in a response to a question by lawmakers and confirmed by the interior ministry, Bild said.
Between 2015 and 2016 some 1 million migrants arrived in Germany, most of them from war-torn countries like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
For weeks, thousands of migrants crossed into the country daily to apply for asylum, often making thorough background checks impossible for the overwhelmed authorities.
___
9:40 a.m.
Greek authorities say three people, including two small boys, have died after a boat carrying migrants from Turkey foundered overnight off the island of Samos.
The coast guard says it launched an air and sea search off the eastern Aegean Sea island after receiving a distress call late Wednesday. Rescuers found 11 people in the sea shortly later, including the two boys who died on the way to a hospital.
The survivors reported that a man was also missing from the small boat that had been carrying them to Samos. A body found early Thursday close to shore was believed to be his.
The ages and nationalities of the dead and survivors were not immediately known.
It was unclear what caused the boat to sink in good weather conditions.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019