Twelve dead found on migrant boat off Crete
A passing cargo ship rescued eighteen people from the boat south of the Greek island.
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Greek authorities found twelve dead people on a migrant boat south of Crete on Monday. Eighteen people were rescued by a passing cargo ship, Associated Press and Reuters report.
According to the Greek coastguard, the boat was found in the morning about fifteen nautical miles, roughly 28 kilometres, south of Crete. The Greek coastguard said a cargo ship flying the Moroccan flag took eighteen survivors on board.
Little is yet known about the identities of the dead and rescued people. The authorities have also not yet said where the boat came from or how long those on board had been travelling.
According to AP, two other boats were also found south of Crete on Monday. One boat was carrying 47 people and the other 40. It is not clear from those reports whether the rescue operations took place simultaneously.
Reuters reported that the rescue operation took place about fifteen nautical miles from the port of Kaloi Limenes. According to Reuters, the Greek coastguard is coordinating the operation. No independent information is yet available on the cause of the deaths.
The route from North Africa to Crete is one of the routes along which migrants try to reach Europe. The crossing takes place in boats that are often unsuitable for open water. This increases the risk of drowning and rescue operations, especially in bad weather.
The latest incident follows other deadly incidents around Greece. This once again highlights the pressure on the Greek coastguard and European migration policy, but this rescue operation alone cannot show whether the number of crossings is rising structurally.
The number of people rescued or missing could still change in the coming hours. The initial figures come from Greek authorities and have been reported by international news agencies; a complete overview of the boat and those on board is not yet available.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Twelve people died and eighteen people were rescued in an incident south of Crete.
- The Greek coastguard is coordinating the rescue operation.
- Two other boats carrying a total of 87 people were found in the same area of sea.
Left
Arguments Emphasises safe and legal routes, European responsibility for rescue, and protection for people fleeing or migrating.
Values Human dignity, solidarity and human rights.
Consequences Fears that stricter border controls without safe alternatives will cause more deadly crossings.
Centre
Arguments Wants the duty to rescue and reception to be combined with agreements with countries of origin and transit, and a better European division of responsibility.
Values Legal certainty, practicality and European cooperation.
Consequences Emphasises that both aid for people in distress and management of migration flows are necessary.
Right
Arguments Emphasises border control, combating people smuggling and preventing dangerous crossings from becoming a route into Europe.
Values Control, security and national responsibility.
Consequences Fears that rescue operations without stricter policy will keep smugglers’ business model going.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The key figures and location were reported by two independent international news agencies. Unknown details are explicitly described as uncertain or not yet known.
- confirmed Twelve people were found dead and eighteen people were rescued. — AP and Reuters report the same numbers, based on the Greek coastguard. source
- confirmed The boat was found about fifteen nautical miles south of Crete. — The distance is mentioned by AP and Reuters. source
- confirmed Two other boats carrying 47 and 40 people were also found. — These figures appear in the AP report. source
Editor's note
The numbers of dead and rescued people have been confirmed by AP and Reuters. Identities, origin and cause are not yet known.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „migratie griekenland”
- de Volkskrant — „migratie griekenland”
- RTL Nieuws — „migratie griekenland”