Thirteen bodies were recovered from a migrant boat south of Crete on Monday, November 9, 2026, while another person died after rescue, adding to a maritime toll across the Mediterranean.
Greek authorities pulled the 13 bodies from a vessel sailing south of the island early Monday, the coast guard said. One of 18 survivors from that same boat was later confirmed dead at a local health center.
There was no immediate information available on the identities or nationalities of those 14 victims or what caused their deaths, according to the coast guard. Hellenic coast guard members transferred the recovered bodies and survivors to the port of Agia Galini on Monday, as documented by Reuters photographs.
The tragedy followed a separate incident reported Sunday by the French news agency AFP. Maritime police recovered eight bodies from another boat off Crete after it issued an emergency distress signal late Saturday amid strong winds.
About 28 survivors from that second vessel, all Sudanese nationals, were picked up by a nearby ship before being transferred to a police vessel and brought to Crete. Authorities arrested two Sudanese citizens, including a 16-year-old, after survivors identified them as suspected people smugglers.
Greek coast guard vessels and European Union border assets intercepted more boats on Monday morning. Aircraft and drones from the border agency Frontex spotted three additional vessels carrying roughly 187 people total south of Crete.
Those boats carried approximately 47, 40, and 100 people respectively. All three groups were scheduled for transfer to Crete, continuing a steady flow of arrivals from Libya.
Greece remains a primary entry point into the 27-nation EU for individuals fleeing conflict and poverty across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Thousands have attempted the perilous crossing from North Africa to Crete in recent months.
Others take the shorter, equally dangerous crossing from Turkey to nearby Aegean islands in unseaworthy inflatable dinghies. Last month, 12 people, including an infant, died when two boats capsized on routes from Turkey to Lesbos and Samos.
Frontex reported in October that the eastern Mediterranean was the busiest route for irregular entry into the EU. Total irregular crossings across the bloc dropped by a third, with about 31,800 crossings recorded in the first three quarters of 2026, marking a 15% fall compared to the same period last year.
The Ministry of Interior stated Sunday that at least 21 people had died while rescuers searched for survivors, though passenger totals remain unconfirmed and several people are still missing. Only one passenger was rescued alive from the uncovered wooden canoe, which had set out on an 800-mile Atlantic journey toward the Spanish coast.
