ATHENS, Greece — The United Nations refugee agency has expressed alarm over an increase in migrant fatalities while attempting to reach Greece via small boats from Turkey, following two tragic shipwrecks that occurred this week.

In a statement released on Friday, the UNHCR indicated that this month alone, 17 individuals have lost their lives in maritime incidents, bringing the total to at least 45 deaths so far this year.

Since January 1, approximately 56,000 migrants have entered Greece illegally, primarily by sea. This figure marks a five-year peak, surpassing earlier government projections of around 50,000 newcomers by year-end.

Maria Clara Martin, the representative of the UNHCR in Greece, emphasized that the tragic loss of life among migrants underscores the urgent necessity for sustainable solutions and safer, more reliable alternatives for those fleeing crises such as conflict, persecution, violence, or human rights violations.

“Counting lives lost at sea cannot become a norm — we should not get used to it,” she remarked, stressing the importance of addressing this crisis.

The U.N. agency highlighted the circumstances surrounding this week’s tragic incidents near Samos, an island in the eastern Aegean Sea close to Turkey’s coast, where one grieving mother lost three of her children. Additionally, another survivor recounted the loss of his wife and daughter during the catastrophe.

According to Greek officials, the spike in migrant arrivals this year has been linked to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The perilous journey from Libya to the southern Greek island of Crete has seen a significant uptick, although the majority of migrants opt to pay smugglers for transportation from Turkey to the eastern Aegean islands.

On Friday, the Greek coast guard reported the arrest of a 17-year-old Turkish national on suspicion of facilitating the landing of 16 migrants, which includes three children, on the island of Chios.