Athens- A four-year-old child died in an attempt by a group of refugees to cross the sea between Turkey and the Greek island of Samos, local media reported.

The Greek coastguard managed to rescue 24 people from the water after the dinghy in which they were travelling sank, according to a local radio broadcaster.

Greek officials said the would-be immigrants, from various Near Eastern countries, had paid 500 euros (637 dollars) per person to human traffickers to make the crossing.

The Aegean Sea is one of the routes used by international human traffickers to bring thousands of refugees into the European Union. dpa