Nov 9, 1:00 PM
At Least 20 Migrants Die in Shipwrecks South of Crete
Search operations continue off the Greek coast after four boats encounter distress on the sea route from Libya.
At least 20 migrants have died and 133 others were rescued following four separate boat incidents south of the Greek island of Crete over the weekend. Greek emergency services and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, continue search and rescue operations for at least two missing individuals, Greek state broadcaster ERTnews reported on Sunday.
The first incident occurred a few nautical miles off the southern Cretan coast near Kali Limenes on Saturday evening. The Hellenic Coast Guard recovered eight bodies and brought 28 survivors, identified as Sudanese nationals, to safety. According to police authorities, two male passengers aged 16 and 28 were arrested on suspicion of human smuggling.
Survivors told officers they had set sail from the coast of Libya several days earlier, having paid between 1,000 and 2,500 euros each for the passage. In a separate shipwreck in the same maritime area, a passing container ship spotted a vessel in distress and alerted authorities. A Greek patrol boat subsequently rescued 18 survivors and retrieved 12 bodies, with details regarding their origins remaining unconfirmed.
In two additional operations in the region, emergency crews rescued 87 people from two separate vessels carrying 47 and 40 passengers. Both craft were initially detected by Frontex aerial surveillance operating south of Crete. Rescued individuals were transported to the port of Kali Limenes for processing and medical evaluation.
The incidents occur amid shifting migration routes in the eastern Mediterranean, with Crete recording a sharp increase in arrivals despite a nationwide decline across Greece. Figures from the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, show that over 22,500 people arrived on Crete between January and November 1, exceeding the total of 20,200 recorded for the entire previous year. Across all of Greece, total arrivals stood at roughly 37,500 by early November, compared to 42,000 during 2025. UNHCR reported that nearly two-thirds of those reaching Crete originate from Sudan and Bangladesh, crossing the 350-kilometre stretch of sea from Libya.
Written by Sandy van Dongen sandy.vandongen@alpineweekly.com
