The bodies of eight presumed illegal immigrants, among them a young girl, were found washed up on a beach on the Aegean island of Samos, according to reports Thursday. Officials said they assume the eight people, among them a woman and the body of an eight-year-old girl, tried to make the crossing from the coast of Turkey to Samos when their boat capsized in rough seas. Another 12 immigrants which were traveling on the same boat were reportedly sighted by a Maltese-flagged vessel near Turkey, dpa reported. Coast guard vessels and a helicopter conducted a search and rescue operation to save the 12 immigrants and were flying over the waters south of Samos, near the town of Pythagoriou, for signs of more survivors.
