Crete Migrant Boats: 21 Dead, About 40 Rescued Off Greek Island
Twenty-one people died over the weekend while trying to reach the Greek island of Crete, the Greek coast guard said on Monday, November 9, 2026.
Twenty-one people died over the weekend while trying to reach the Greek island of Crete, the Greek coast guard said on Monday, November 9, 2026. Crete is a leading entry point to the European Union for migrants coming from Africa.
Rescuers found eight bodies on one boat and 12 on another, and pulled about 40 survivors from the two vessels. A further body was recovered on Monday afternoon, bringing the toll to 21.
Rescue in rough seas
Maritime police began an emergency rescue late Saturday after one boat sent out an alarm signal. Strong winds made conditions at sea difficult, the coast guard said.
The two boats were found about 15 nautical miles south-southwest of Kaloi Limenes, a town on Crete's southern coast. A container ship sailing under the Moroccan flag first spotted one of the boats and joined the operation.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre directed the effort. Coast guard officers took 18 foreign nationals off that vessel and recovered 12 bodies from it.
Two more rescue operations took place in the wider sea area south of Crete. Frontex, the EU border agency, helped with those. Across all three operations, rescuers recovered 105 people, including the roughly 40 found on the two boats where people died.
Survivors and unanswered questions
Around 28 survivors and one body, all Sudanese nationals, were picked up in the operations. Reuters photographs from the port of Kaloi Limenes showed rescued migrants gathered on the quay on Monday.
Authorities have not said who the victims were or what killed them. The coast guard has not announced how many people had been aboard each boat.
