The Greek Coast Guard announced on Saturday that at least 18 people were killed after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the Greek island of Crete, noting that two were rescued and taken to the coast of the island.

Published on: 06/12/2025 - 21:06 Last updated: 07/12/2025 - 14:30

At least 18 people were killed when a migrant boat capsized on Saturday off the Greek island of Crete, 40 kilometers south of the small island in southern Greece, while two were rescued, the Coast Guard said.

The same source said that the survivors were transferred to the island of Crete.

A Turkish cargo ship initially discovered the boat and contacted Greek authorities.

It is noteworthy that Greece was on the front line of the migration crisis during 2015 and 2016, when more than a million people crossed from the Middle East and Africa to Europe.

Read also: A boat carrying about 700 people sank, and more than 250 of them were rescued off Greek Crete

The flows have subsided since then, but last year saw a sharp rise in the number of migrant boats, most of them from Libya to Crete, Gavdos and Cressi, the three islands in the Aegean Sea closest to the African coast. Fatal accidents remain common.

France 24/Reuters

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