At least 20 people have died, and two are missing after a series of migrant boat incidents off the coast of the Greek island of Crete, while 133 others were rescued, broadcaster ERTnews reported on Monday.
In the first shipwreck, which happened on Saturday evening near Kali Limenes on Crete’s south coast, the Greek coastguard rescued 28 Sudanese migrants and recovered eight bodies.
Authorities said the search was continuing for two missing people. Survivors told officials they had set sail from Libya days earlier and had paid between €1,000 and €2,500 for the dangerous crossing. Two men, aged 16 and 28, were arrested on suspicion of people smuggling.
In the same area, the crew of a passing container ship spotted another migrant boat in distress and alerted the authorities. A Greek coastguard patrol boat rescued 18 people, while 12 others were recovered dead.
Greek media said there was no immediate information in that case about the migrants’ nationality or where they had departed from.
In two other rescue operations, a further 87 people were saved. Both boats were detected by aerial surveillance operated by the EU border agency Frontex, one carrying 47 passengers and the other 40.
Frontex rescue teams picked up the survivors and brought them to Kali Limenes.
Crete is one of the main entry points used by migrants trying to reach the European Union. Many of them are from Sudan and leave from Libya to attempt the hazardous journey to Greece.
