At least 21 migrants die at sea trying to reach Greece’s Crete

At least 21 migrants and refugees have died trying to reach the Greek island of Crete by boat, according to the Greek coastguard.

Early on 9 November, the coastguard recovered 12 bodies and rescued 18 people from a boat spotted by a container ship south of the island. One of the rescued later died in hospital. On the evening of 7 November, it had recovered eight bodies and rescued 28 people from another boat off southern Crete; two people from that boat are still missing.

Two more boats, carrying about 47 and about 40 people, were also found sailing south of the island. The European Union’s border agency, Frontex, used an aircraft and a drone to find the boats.

Greek officials said the boat found on 9 November may have been at sea for days, struggling against strong winds. The cause of the deaths is not yet clear.

Crete has become one of the main routes into the EU for people crossing from North Africa. Frontex has counted about 31,800 irregular crossings in the first nine months of 2026, 15% fewer than a year earlier.