Another shipwreck involving refugees in the Mediterranean: a boat capsized off Crete. At least five people lost their lives. The number of refugees in Greece has recently increased.
A boat carrying refugees capsized off the Greek Mediterranean island of Crete. At least five people died in the accident, the Greek coast guard said. 39 people were saved. Many of them are said to come from Pakistan. A search is underway for more than 40 missing people. The coast guard, merchant ships, an Italian frigate and naval aircraft are involved in the search for survivors.
According to the Greek Coast Guard, the boat capsized shortly after midnight. A first body was found on Saturday morning. The coast guard later announced that the number of deaths had continued to rise. According to local media, a man was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Chania, Crete, where he received intensive care.
Two other boats also got into trouble south of Crete on Saturday. A Malta-flagged cargo ship rescued 47 people from a boat traveling about 40 nautical miles off the small island of Gavdos. A tanker took 88 migrants on board. According to initial information, the coast guard assumes that the boats set sail together from Libya.
Dangerous crossings to Europe
In Greece there are frequent accidents involving refugee ships, which are often unseaworthy boats or completely overcrowded inflatable boats. People dare to make dangerous crossings on two routes in particular: from the Turkish west coast to the Greek islands of Samos, Leros, Lesbos, Kos and Chios and from the Libyan coast towards Crete.
Compared to last year, the number of refugees in Greece increased this year. While there were almost 49,000 arrivals in 2023, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, around 58,000 people had already arrived this year by December 8th.
