Shipwreck horror as 17 migrants drown trying to reach Europe | World | News
The bodies of 17 migrants were recovered and two survivors were rescued by the Greek Coast Guard after a partially deflated inflatable boat was found about 26 nautical miles southwest of Chrysi, Crete, on Saturday evening. This tragedy stands as one of the deadliest maritime incidents in Greek waters since the Pylos shipwreck in 2023.
The alarm was first raised by a Turkish cargo ship, which found the ship in danger. Greek authorities immediately coordinated a search and rescue operation that included two Coast Guard patrol boats, a rescue helicopter, three merchant vessels and support from Frontex, including a ship and an aircraft.
Rescuers found all 17 victims, identified as young men, already dead. The two survivors were transported to a hospital in critical condition and authorities were informed that no other passengers were missing.
Pending autopsies, preliminary reports from Ierapetra port suggest that the cause of death was likely dehydration and exposure, as the group was left without water or shelter for more than 24 hours.
The boat is believed to have come from Libya, although the victims carried no identification documents and their nationalities were unknown.
Saturday’s tragedy underlines the sharp change in migration routes towards the southern Mediterranean. According to UNHCR data, the number of arrivals to Crete from North Africa increased in 2025, exceeding 16,700 at the beginning of December.
This trend follows the temporary suspension of asylum applications for 90 days in July 2025 to deter arrivals from the Libyan coast.
The Greek government, led by Minister of Immigration Thanos Plevris, continued to tighten border policies. In September 2025, the new law introduced a prison sentence of two to five years for people who are rejected for asylum and stay in the country for more than 14 days.
While Mr. Plevris has previously claimed that these measures have significantly reduced arrivals, human rights organizations argue that limited access to safe havens is pushing migrants onto longer, more dangerous routes.
Greece remains the primary entry point into the European Union. While increased patrols have reduced transit from Türkiye to the eastern Aegean islands, the southern route from North Africa to Crete has emerged as a high-risk and increasingly deadly alternative towards the end of 2025.
