Three migrants have drowned and five others have been rescued after a boat sank near the Greek island of Samos.

  

 The head of the coast guard told AFP:  The bodies of three migrants were found and five others were rescued.

  
 According to preliminary information, at least 20 people are missing.

  
 The boat sank off the northwest coast of Samos, a Greek island off Turkey's west coast and one of the main routes for migrants to Europe, AFP reported.