In brief
In late November, four migrant boats ran aground south of Crete, leaving 20 dead and 133 rescued by Greek and EU forces. The surge in arrivals on Crete contrasts with a decline in overall illegal crossings into Greece.
On Nov. 9, Greek coast guard and EU border agency Frontex recovered 20 bodies and rescued 133 people after several migrant boats ran aground 15 nautical miles southeast of Kaloi Limenes, south of Crete.
A passing container ship spotted the first distressed boat and alerted authorities. Greek coast guard vessels later rescued 18 survivors and recovered 12 bodies, but the identities of the deceased were not disclosed.
Frontex vessels located two other boats carrying about 47 and 40 migrants. The agency rescued everyone aboard and transported the rescued to southern Crete ports.
Earlier that weekend, 28 Sudanese migrants were rescued from a boat off Crete and one body was recovered. By Monday, seven additional bodies were found inside the boat after severe weather delayed recovery.
The incidents arrive amid a sharp rise in migrant arrivals on Crete, which surged 105 percent to about 21,000 from July 2025 to June 2026, according to the European Commission’s 2026 Annual Asylum and Migration Report. The report says arrivals on Crete account for nearly half of all Greek arrivals, even as illegal crossings into Greece fell 23 percent over the same period.
