Greek authorities say 12 bodies were found on a migrant boat south of Crete, while 18 people were rescued from the same vessel. Two other operations brought the total rescued to about 105. The deaths follow a separate weekend incident on another boat as crews respond to crossings south of the island.
Geopolitics··Evening
12 bodies recovered from one boat
Greek authorities said 12 bodies were recovered from a migrant boat south of Crete early on November 9. A passing Moroccan-flagged cargo ship rescued 18 people from the same vessel, according to the account retained by Euronews. Greece’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre coordinated the response. The dead had not been identified in the initial statements, and the circumstances of their deaths were not immediately known. The boat was found roughly 15 nautical miles south of the island. Greek-language reporting also described 12 deaths and three overnight operations involving the coast guard and the European border agency Frontex.[1], [2]
Two more boats located by aircraft
Two further operations south of Crete brought the number rescued during the three Monday responses to about 105. A Frontex drone located a boat with around 40 people approximately 31 nautical miles southeast of the island. An aircraft from the same agency spotted another carrying roughly 47 people about 30 nautical miles south of Kaloi Limenes, a settlement on Crete’s southern coast. Frontex vessels took the people aboard and were bringing them to a port on the southern coast. Euronews described the weather during Monday’s operations as good. The initial accounts did not establish the departure port of the boat carrying the dead. The groups of around 40 and 47 were on separate boats.[1]
Weekend deaths involved a separate vessel
The Monday incident followed a separate weekend emergency near Kaloi Limenes. A tug recovered 28 Sudanese nationals and one body from a boat around six nautical miles southwest of the settlement. Bad weather hampered the initial towing and search operation. Seven further bodies were later found on that boat. The figure of 20 deaths over three days therefore includes eight on the weekend vessel and 12 in Monday’s incident. Crete is a major entry point into the European Union for people crossing from North Africa, particularly Libya. Frontex figures cited in the accepted account identify the Libya–Crete corridor as the busiest part of the eastern Mediterranean route.[1]
