At least 22 migrants die off Crete — CBS News
At least 22 migrants died on two boats off the Greek island of Crete, while dozens more people were rescued. On one of the vessels, discovered south of the island on the morning of November 9, the Greek coast guard found 13 bodies. One of the 18 rescued passengers later died at a medical facility in Crete, CBS News reports.
Information about the identities and nationalities of those who died on the first boat, as well as the causes of their deaths, was not immediately available.
Second boat off Crete
Another eight bodies were found on a second boat near Crete, AFP reported. Around 28 survivors from that vessel, all Sudanese citizens, were picked up by another boat passing nearby. The people were later transferred to a police vessel and taken to Crete.
The rescue operation began late Saturday evening after a distress signal from the boat. According to the coast guard, strong winds complicated the situation at sea. Two Sudanese citizens, one of them aged 16, were detained after survivors identified them as suspects in the illegal transportation of people.
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Other boats were heading to the island
On the morning of November 9, the coast guard also found more than 180 people on three other boats heading from North Africa to Crete. One vessel carried about 47 people, the second around 40, and the third approximately 100. All three boats were spotted by aircraft or drones of the EU border agency Frontex, and the people on board were to be taken to Crete.
The route from Libya to Crete has become one of the main migration routes to Europe. According to Frontex, about 31,800 irregular crossings of the EU border were recorded on the Eastern Mediterranean route in the first three quarters of 2026, 15% fewer than in the same period last year. The most active section was the corridor between Libya and Crete.
Separately, off Senegal, the death toll from the capsizing of a boat heading for the Spanish coast rose to 39. The vessel departed from Saint-Louis in the north of the country and capsized on Sunday near the city of Kébémer, north of Dakar. According to emergency services, only one passenger was rescued alive.
