Twenty-two migrants have died off the Greek coast after spending six days in a dinghy bound for Europe, the Greek coastguard has said.
Twenty-six survivors, including a woman and a child, were rescued by a European border agency vessel on Friday. Two of them were taken to hospital in Heraklion on the island of Crete.
The migrant boat had left the port of Tobruk in eastern Libya on 21 March, according to news agency AFP, which cited a coastguard spokesperson. Poor weather and a lack of food and water contributed to the deaths.
Greece, along with Italy, receives a large number of undocumented migrants via the Mediterranean, often from nearby Turkey and northern Africa. Many of these crossings occur in the summer months when the weather is generally more favorable.
During the journey, the passengers of the dinghy lost their orientation and remained at sea for six days without access to water or food. The boat was stopped 53 nautical miles away from Ierapetra, a city on Crete's southern coastline.
Greek authorities confirmed that two men from South Sudan, aged 19 and 22, have been arrested on suspicion of people trafficking, and are under investigation for illegal entry into the country and negligent homicide.
The coastguard reported that 21 of the survivors were from Bangladesh, while four were from South Sudan and another was from Chad. Last year, over 41,000 migrants arrived in Greece by sea, and this year has seen more than 4,000 arrivals so far.
However, these journeys remain extremely dangerous, especially under poor weather conditions, and many people smugglers overcrowd boats without the necessary supplies or lifejackets. In 2025, at least 103 individuals were reported dead or missing in the eastern Mediterranean.
Twenty-six survivors, including a woman and a child, were rescued by a European border agency vessel on Friday. Two of them were taken to hospital in Heraklion on the island of Crete.
The migrant boat had left the port of Tobruk in eastern Libya on 21 March, according to news agency AFP, which cited a coastguard spokesperson. Poor weather and a lack of food and water contributed to the deaths.
Greece, along with Italy, receives a large number of undocumented migrants via the Mediterranean, often from nearby Turkey and northern Africa. Many of these crossings occur in the summer months when the weather is generally more favorable.
During the journey, the passengers of the dinghy lost their orientation and remained at sea for six days without access to water or food. The boat was stopped 53 nautical miles away from Ierapetra, a city on Crete's southern coastline.
Greek authorities confirmed that two men from South Sudan, aged 19 and 22, have been arrested on suspicion of people trafficking, and are under investigation for illegal entry into the country and negligent homicide.
The coastguard reported that 21 of the survivors were from Bangladesh, while four were from South Sudan and another was from Chad. Last year, over 41,000 migrants arrived in Greece by sea, and this year has seen more than 4,000 arrivals so far.
However, these journeys remain extremely dangerous, especially under poor weather conditions, and many people smugglers overcrowd boats without the necessary supplies or lifejackets. In 2025, at least 103 individuals were reported dead or missing in the eastern Mediterranean.
