Refugee crisis: 11 drown off Greek island of Samos, including four babies

The deaths are the latest in a string of tragedies in the Aegean Sea

11 refugees - four of them babies - died on refugee journey from Turkey to Greece (AP)

Eleven women and children have drowned in the the Aegean sea after a boat carrying refugees from Turkey to Greece sank on Sunday morning.

Heavy seas and strong winds overturned the plastic boat just 20 metres from the Greek island of Samos, killing five women, four babies and two children.

Ten were found in the cabin, and the other - a young girl - washed up onto the island’s rocky shore.

Fifteen passengers were rescued, and the search continues for the two people still missing.

It is the latest in a string of sea tragedies in the region, with more than 60 people perishing just this week. At least 28 were children.

On Friday Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras expressed his “endless grief” and accused Europe of shadding “crocodile tears”.

With winter drawing near and Europe appearing increasingly inclined to close its doors to incoming refugees, the number of people making the perilous sea-crossing is still high.

More than 80 people have died this month trying to get to Greece, many of them children.

Nearly 600,000 have arrived on Greek shores this year.