Boat carrying migrants sinks near Greek island; at least 38 missing

reporting from Lesbos, Greece —  Authorities on the Greek island of Lesbos said Thursday 38 people are believed missing after a wooden boat carrying migrants sank. Seven people are known to have died.

At first light, officials said, a helicopter from the European border protection agency Frontex joined the search by Greek coast guard vessels off the northern coast of the island, hours after the dramatic rescue of 242 people.

At least 15 people -- mostly children -- died in five separate incidents in the eastern Aegean Sea on Wednesday, as thousands of people continued to head to the Greek islands from Turkey in frail boats and stormy weather.

In a dramatic scene late in the day, dozens of paramedics and volunteers helped survivors, wrapping them in foil blankets and prioritizing ambulance transportation. Eighteen children were hospitalized, three in serious condition, local authorities said.

Lesbos has borne the brunt of the refugee crisis in Greece, with more than 300,000 reaching the island this year -- and the number of daily arrivals recently peaking at 7,500.