17 dead as migrant boat capsizes near Greece

The Greek Coast Guard found the bodies of 17 migrants near the island of Crete, and two more people were rescued from a half-sunken boat. The disaster occurred amid Greece’s intensified measures on migration.

On the evening of December 6, the Greek coast guard found the bodies of 17 migrants near the island of Crete, and two more people were rescued from a half-sunken boat. This is reported by The New York Times, according to UNN.

The disaster was reported by a Turkish cargo ship, which spotted a half-sunken boat approximately 30 nautical miles off the southwestern coast of Crete.

It is noted that two coast guard vessels, a rescue helicopter, a vessel and an aircraft of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), as well as three civilian vessels, were involved in the search and rescue operation.

When rescuers arrived at the scene, they found that most of the migrants had died. The operation to recover the bodies was completed on Saturday evening.

The Ministry of Maritime Affairs did not comment on reports in state media that the migrants allegedly died of hypothermia, not drowning, noting that the exact cause would be determined by the coroner. They noted that it would be difficult to establish the country of origin, as no documents or wallets were found in the sunken boat.

The disaster occurred amid Greece’s strengthened migration measures: the government froze the consideration of asylum applications in the summer due to a sharp increase in arrivals from Libya.

In September, a law was passed providing for imprisonment for asylum seekers who remain in the country after their requests are rejected.

Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris said that after decisive measures, the number of migrants arriving on the island from Libya had decreased by almost 50%. However, in recent days, this figure has begun to rise.

Earlier, it was reported that a number of European countries will receive additional support from the EU to overcome the growing migration burden. The new mechanism will come into effect after the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum enters into force in mid-2026.