At least 13 people have died after a migrant boat carrying Sudanese nationals sank in strong winds off the Greek island of Crete.
The Hellenic Coast Guard said 18 people were rescued from the vessel on Monday. A Moroccan-flagged container ship had spotted the stricken boat about 15 nautical miles (28 kilometres) from the southern port of Kaloi Limenes, leading to a major rescue operation.
Four of those rescued, including a toddler, were taken to hospital. Medical officials later confirmed that one of the evacuated passengers had died.
The incident took the number of people who have died in shipwrecks off Crete over a two-day period to more than 21. A separate vessel sank over the weekend, adding to the death toll.
Greek authorities said the circumstances surrounding the deaths were still being investigated. Survivors had spent days at sea in difficult conditions, with strong winds affecting the boat before it sank.
A Hellenic Coast Guard official told Reuters that the people recovered from the vessel were “shivering from the cold”.
The boat was carrying people travelling from Libya to Crete, a route that has become increasingly busy among those fleeing the ongoing conflict in Sudan. Many migrants have been leaving North African transit hubs before attempting the crossing to Greece.
In July, Ghana and the International Organization for Migration repatriated 144 Ghanaian migrants from the region.
The Hellenic Coast Guard carried out three other rescue operations off the Greek coast on Monday, bringing a further 187 people to safety.
United Nations data shows that more than 37,000 migrants have reached Greece by sea so far in 2026. That figure has already surpassed the total recorded for the whole of 2025.
The increase in arrivals has prompted Athens to plan a temporary reception centre near Heraklion, Crete’s capital. The move comes as European states tighten their rules on asylum and settlement.
