Eight migrants, six of them minors, died Monday after a boat sank in the Aegean Sea, the Greek coastguard said.

The coastguard said nearly 40 people had been rescued and a search for survivors was ongoing amid strong winds.

The incident occurred north of the island of Samos, a route frequently chosen by people smugglers.

Greece has seen a 25 per cent increase this year in the number of people fleeing war and poverty, with a 30 per cent increase alone to Rhodes and the south-east Aegean, according to the migration ministry.

Several similar accidents have occurred in past weeks, the last in early November when four people died near the island of Rhodes.

In late October, two people died near the island of Samos. Four more, including two infants, were lost near the island of Kos a few days earlier.