ATHENS: The bodies of three migrants were picked up in waters off the Greek island of Crete during a rescue effort involving a commercial ship, authorities said Friday.&nbsp;Twenty migrants were rescued by the commercial vessel which was directed to the area on the orders of the Greek Search and Rescue Center.&nbsp;Most of them were Egyptians and Sudanese, and there were four minors among them, the Athens News Agency reported.&nbsp;According to Greek public broadcaster ERT, an accident occurred when the vessel approached the migrants&#39; wooden boat. As the passengers tried to climb up ladders into the vessel a sudden movement caused the small boat to capsize.&nbsp;The search for survivors was continuing with four patrol boats, an aircraft, and two ships from the European border agency Frontex, a spokesperson for the Greek coast guard told AFP.&nbsp;According to ERT, survivors said about 50 people were aboard the wooden boat.&nbsp;A second boat carrying around forty migrants was spotted in the area, triggering another rescue operation.&nbsp;For over a year, migrants have been attempting the perilous crossing from Libya to Crete, the gateway to the European Union.&nbsp;According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 16,770 people seeking asylum in the EU arrived in Crete in 2025.&nbsp;Faced with the surge in arrivals, the conservative Greek government suspended the processing of asylum applications for three months last summer, particularly for those arriving from Libya.&nbsp;UNHCR says 107 people died or went missing in Greek waters in 2025.

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The bodies of three migrants were picked up in waters off the Greek island of Crete during a rescue effort involving a commercial ship, authorities said.

At least three dead as migrant boat capsizes off Greek island

ATHENS: Seventeen men were found dead Saturday after a migrant vessel was discovered drifting off the Greek island of Crete, a coastguard spokeswoman told AFP.&nbsp;&quot;Two survivors in critical condition have been hospitalized,&quot; the spokeswoman added.&nbsp;&quot;Autopsies have to be carried out as the circumstances of the sinking are not known.&quot;&nbsp;Greek state television channel ERT said the bodies had been found inside the vessel, which was taking on water and partly deflated.&nbsp;Manolis Frangoulis, the mayor of Cretan port Ierapetra, told reporters that all the victims were young.&nbsp;&quot;The vessel the migrants were on was deflated on two sides, which forced the passengers into a reduced space,&quot; he added.&nbsp;Coroners are looking at the possibility that the migrants died of dehydration, ERT reported.&nbsp;The vessel was found 26 nautical miles (48 kilometres) southwest of Crete, said Greek officials.&nbsp;A Turkish cargo ship spotted it and alerted the authorities, Greek news agency Ana reported.&nbsp;Two coastguard vessels, and another from the EU&#39;s border agency Frontex, travelled to the scene, as did a Frontex aircraft and Super Puma helicopter, said the coastguard.&nbsp;They added that the two survivors had said their vessel had become unstable due to bad weather, and that they had had no way to cover up, eat, or drink.&nbsp;Migrants have, for the past year, turned their attention to the Greek island of Crete in the eastern Mediterranean Sea as a way of reaching European Union territory from Libya in North Africa.&nbsp;The UN&#39;s refugee agency, UNHCR, says more than 16,770 people seeking asylum in the EU have arrived there since the start of the year.&nbsp;In July, Greece&#39;s conservative government led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis suspended asylum hearings for migrants, particularly targeting those arriving on Crete from Libya.&nbsp;Migration Minister Thanos Plevris, a former member of the Greek far-right party LAOS, posted on X at the time that Greece was taking &quot;immediate actions to counter the invasion from North Africa.&quot;&nbsp;Libya has been gripped by conflict since the 2011 overthrow and killing of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising.

Seventeen migrants died, likely due to dehydration, while two survived after their vessel sank off Crete, possibly due to bad weather. Crete remains a key route for migrants crossing from Libya to the EU.

Articles tagged with "Greek island of Crete"

At least three dead as migrant boat capsizes off Greek island

17 found dead in migrant vessel off Crete: coastguard