At least twelve people have been found dead aboard a migrant vessel off the southern coast of Crete, bringing the total number of fatalities in the area to twenty over the past three days. The discovery came during a series of search-and-rescue operations coordinated by the Hellenic Coast Guard and the European border agency Frontex on Monday morning.
The first boat was located approximately 15 nautical miles south-southwest of Kaloi Limenes, a small port town on Crete's southern shore. A Moroccan-flagged container ship, guided by Greece's Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC), spotted the vessel and alerted authorities. Coast guard officers subsequently rescued 18 people from the boat, but also recovered twelve bodies from the deck and hold.
Two further rescues south of Crete
While the first operation was underway, a Frontex surveillance drone identified a second boat carrying around 40 people, positioned about 31 nautical miles southeast of Crete. A Frontex patrol vessel picked up all passengers, who are expected to be brought to Kaloi Limenes. A third boat, spotted roughly 30 nautical miles south of the same town, carried 47 people; they too were rescued by a European border force ship and are due to disembark at the Cretan port.
In total, about 105 migrants were rescued across the three operations, according to the coast guard. Weather conditions in the area were reported as good, which may have aided the rescue efforts. The nationalities of the latest group have not yet been disclosed.
The deaths on Monday follow a separate tragedy on Friday afternoon, when port authorities received a distress call about a vessel in serious difficulty about six nautical miles southwest of Kaloi Limenes. The tugboat Pyrrhos was dispatched and managed to take aboard 28 Sudanese nationals, along with the body of a man. Survivors told officials that two other people had fallen overboard and were missing.
Rescue efforts were hampered by strong northerly winds and rough seas, which made towing the damaged boat extremely hazardous. The vessel was relocated in the early hours of Saturday, and seven more bodies were discovered inside. It was then towed to Kaloi Limenes.
Greek authorities have arrested two Sudanese nationals, aged 28 and 16, who were identified by other passengers as the alleged organisers of the smuggling operation. They face charges including illegal entry, facilitating illegal entry, forming a criminal organisation, and fatal exposure.
The incidents highlight the continued dangers on the eastern Mediterranean migration route, even as overall arrivals to Greece have declined from the peaks of 2015–2016. According to UNHCR data, more than 60,000 people have reached Greece by sea so far this year, with Crete and the southern Peloponnese increasingly used as landing points for boats departing from North Africa.
Local authorities in Crete have repeatedly called for more support from Athens and Brussels to handle the growing number of landings. The island's remote southern coast, with its rugged cliffs and limited port infrastructure, makes rescue operations particularly challenging.
Frontex, which has been assisting Greek patrols in the region, said it remains committed to saving lives at sea. However, humanitarian organisations argue that the focus on interception and deterrence does little to address the root causes driving people to undertake such perilous journeys.
Monday's deaths come just days after Spain rescued 854 migrants off El Hierro, underscoring the persistent pressure on Europe's southern maritime borders. The European Union has pledged to overhaul its migration and asylum policies, but member states remain divided over how to share responsibility for those who arrive.
For now, the bodies recovered off Crete have been transported to a forensic facility in Heraklion for identification. The survivors are being housed in temporary reception centres on the island, where they will be able to apply for international protection.
