Four die in Greece after smuggler allegedly forces passengers off boat

Twenty-five other people found alive on island of Rhodes after swimming to shore, according to the Greek coastguard.

Authorities in Greece have recovered the bodies of four people from the sea just off the coast of the eastern Aegean island of Rhodes while another 25 people have been found alive on land, the Greek coastguard says.

The bodies of three men and one woman were recovered near the southern tip of Rhodes on Wednesday, according to the coastguard.

The group of 25 survivors were found alive after swimming to shore. Police originally located an initial group of 11 people shortly after midnight and the rest were found afterwards. The nationalities of the people remain unclear.

The survivors told authorities that they had been travelling to the Greek island from the nearby Turkish coast by speedboat when the smuggler driving the vessel forced them overboard into the water and left.

A search and rescue operation in the area was called off on Wednesday afternoon once authorities ascertained from survivors that there were no further people missing.