34 refugees die as boat capsizes off Greece

At least 28 people, among them babies and children, have drowned after a boat carrying scores of refugees capsized off Greece. 

The Greece's coastguard said a stricken boat carrying at least 100 refugees sank off the island of Farmakonisi in the southern Aegean Sea on early Sunday. 

It said 68 people were rescued and a further 29 managed to swim to a beach on the island.

Rescuers have pulled a total of 28 bodies from the sea. A dead child was among those found in the area during the rescue operation. 

Europe is facing an unprecedented refugee crisis, which has escalated over the summer as refugees are coming directly to the continent instead of staying in camps in neighboring countries.

'Germany carries out border controls'

Meanwhile, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Sunday that Berlin had temporarily put in place controls along its border with Austria in a bid to reduce the number of refugees arriving in the country.

"At this moment Germany is temporarily introducing border controls again along (the EU's) internal borders. The focus will be on the border to Austria at first," he said.

"The aim of these measures is to limit the current inflows to Germany and to return to orderly procedures when people enter the country," he said, adding that this was also necessary for security reasons.

Earlier, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said about 40,000 refugees were expected to arrive at Munich's main train station over the weekend.

Munich police spokesman Peter Kraus said 12,200 migrants arrived at the station of the Bavarian capital on Saturday.

"Because of this number it is clear that we have reached the limits of our capacities. It was really difficult to help them on and house them all," Reuters quoted Kraus as saying, adding, "Thereby we want to free capacities here in order to be able to host the migrants at least for a night."

Austrian authorities have also said that they were expecting another wave of refugees coming over the border from Hungary. Austria struggled last week to cope with thousands of people entering its territory.

Russia to take in more 'refugees'

Also on Sunday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Moscow would continue to take those who fall under refugee category.

Lavrov added that Russia will be ready to support the UN Security Council resolutions on refugee convoys in the Mediterranean.

"We have said more than once that from now on taught by the way our Western partners can at times interpret UN Security Council resolutions we will be ready to authorize compulsory measures only if they are concrete to the utmost and strictly regulated in the resolution itself, without permitting any dual interpretation," Lavrov said. 

The International Organization for Migration said Friday that more than 430,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe this year, with 2,748 dying or going missing in packed and unseaworthy boats.

The continent is now divided over how to deal with the flood of people, mainly Syrians fleeing the four-year foreign-backed militancy in their homeland.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk