Six children were among 12 people who died when a boat carrying dozens of migrants from Turkey to Greece sank in the eastern Aegean Sea.

Four men and two women also died, Greek coast guards said. The victims' nationalities were not immediately known.

Another 12 people are missing and 26 have been rescued.

The wooden boat was believed to have been carrying about 50 people when it began taking on water near the Greek islet of Farmakonissi early on Wednesday.

Coast guard and navy vessels, a helicopter and a vessel from the European border agency Frontex were searching the area for the missing.

Greece is the main entry point for refugees and economic migrants seeking to enter the European Union. More than 700,000 people have entered the country so far this year, the vast majority then heading through the Balkans to the more prosperous European north.