Show caption: Greek authorities recovered the bodies of 13 migrants from o…
Authorities say boat struggled to reach shore amid strong winds for several days
The National
November 09, 2026
The Greek coast guard said it recovered 13 bodies and rescued 18 migrants from a stricken boat off Crete on Monday after the crew of a container ship spotted it at sea.
The Morocco-flagged ship found the boat about 28 kilometres off the port of Kaloi Limenes.
The survivors and the bodies were brought ashore, the coastguard said. It added that one of four people taken to hospital later died.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths were not immediately clear. Greek authorities said the boat may have been at sea for several days and may have struggled to reach the shore in strong winds.
“We found them shivering from the cold,” a local coastguard official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The four people taken to hospital included a toddler, another coastguard official told Reuters. The remaining survivors were due to be transferred to a migrant centre on Crete.
The coastguard also rescued 187 migrants in three separate incidents off Crete on Monday.
Greece has long been a major entry point into Europe for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The country was on the front line of Europe's migration crisis in 2015-2016, when nearly one million people arrived on its islands, mainly from Turkey.
Arrivals have declined since Athens strengthened maritime and border patrols, but journeys from Libya have increased in recent years, with many people fleeing conflict in Sudan, and poverty and instability in Bangladesh.
Updated:
November 09, 2026, 12:01 PM
Source: The National
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