Greece: Authorities recover 12 bodies from migrant boat off Crete
What's the story
Greek authorities have recovered 12 bodies from a migrant boat off the southern coast of Crete. The vessel was discovered about 15 nautical miles south of Crete early on Monday, according to the coast guard. A passing cargo ship rescued 18 survivors from the same boat. Two other boats with 47 and 40 people were also seen sailing south of the island.
Crisis preparation
Spike in migrant arrivals to Crete
The incident comes as migrant arrivals from Libya to Crete have surged.
Migration and asylum minister Thanos Plevris said 1,700 people arrived from Libya in the first three days of November.
He attributed the spike to a breakdown in cooperation with Libyan authorities and linked it to a Turkey-Libya maritime memorandum.
"We are preparing for a crisis on Crete," Plevris said, announcing plans for a reception facility at Athanati next week.
Arrival statistics
Decline in irregular migration
The spike in migrant arrivals on Crete comes despite an overall decline in irregular migration to Greece and the European Union.
Between July 2025 and June 2026, irregular crossings into Greece fell by 23%, while asylum applications decreased by 19%.
However, Greece continues to bear the highest proportional pressure among EU nations when assessed against population and GDP.
Disembarkation data
Arrivals on Crete on the rise
Arrivals on Crete have increased by 105% to around 21,000, while crossings along Greece's land border with Turkey have risen by 33%.
Across the Eastern Mediterranean route, irregular crossings fell by about 25% to 49,136. The EU-wide figure also declined by 32% to 151,877.
Greece accounted for a significant share of disembarkations after search-and-rescue operations across the bloc, 25%, compared with Italy's 42%.
A European official noted that Greece continues to face disproportionate pressure and qualifies for EU assistance.