At least 21 migrants and refugees die in boat incidents off southern Crete

Greek authorities have reported a series of deadly boat incidents off the southern coast of Crete, with at least 21 migrants and refugees confirmed dead and more than 100 people rescued. The incidents involved several vessels in waters south of the island, which has become a major route for people trying to reach Europe. Authorities said survivors and the dead were brought ashore after separate rescue operations.

In one case, the coastguard said it recovered 12 bodies and rescued 18 people from a boat spotted by a Morocco-flagged container ship south of Crete early on Monday. One of the survivors later died in hospital, bringing the death toll from that incident to 13. In a separate operation on Saturday evening, the coastguard recovered eight bodies and rescued 28 migrants and refugees from another boat off southern Crete.

Two people remain missing from that case. Officials said it was not immediately clear what caused the deaths, but they said the first boat may have been at sea for days and struggling to reach shore because of strong winds. Two other boats, carrying about 47 people and about 40 people respectively, were also found sailing south of Crete.

The European Union border agency used an aircraft and an unmanned drone to locate those vessels before survivors were taken to a port on the southern coast of the island. The incidents underline the continuing risks on the eastern Mediterranean migration route, where Crete has become one of the main entry points into the European Union for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The latest deaths also come as irregular border crossings into the bloc have been falling this year, according to the border agency.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

It said about 31,800 crossings were recorded in the first three quarters of 2026, down by a third so far this year and 15 percent lower than the same period last year. The scale of the rescues suggests several boats were operating in the same area over a short period, raising questions about how many people may still be unaccounted for. The coastguard has not said how many passengers were on the boats that were found south of the island, beyond the approximate figures for the two vessels located by the aircraft and drone.

It is also not yet clear whether the deaths were caused by exposure, drowning, or another factor linked to the conditions at sea. Crete has increasingly featured in migration flows toward Europe because of its position in the southern Aegean and its proximity to routes used by smugglers. The island's role as a landing point has made it a focus for maritime surveillance and rescue operations, including those involving the coastguard and the European Union border agency.

For now, authorities are still working to account for the missing and to determine the full number of people involved in the separate incidents.

#Crete #Greece #Greekcoastguard #Frontex #migrants

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.