ATHENS, Greece — At least 22 people died while attempting to reach Greece from North Africa over the past three days, with 13 bodies recovered from a boat south of Crete on Monday and eight found in another boat over the weekend.
More than 180 other people were rescued Monday morning from three other boats crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa to Crete after they were spotted by the European Union's border agency Frontex. They were the latest in a steady number of boats traveling from Libya to Greece, a crossing that has become one of the main migration routes to Europe.
"Rising arrivals along the eastern Libya–Crete route this year, coupled with gaps in search and rescue capacity, are heightening humanitarian concerns over the risks faced by people making the journey," said the United Nations' International Organization for Migration, or IOM.
In Monday's incident, the coast guard said a passing Moroccan-flagged cargo ship picked up 18 people from the boat on which 13 bodies — those of 12 men and one woman — were found. One of those rescued was later confirmed dead at a health center in Crete, while another three — a man, a woman and a minor — were transported to a hospital on the island.
There was no immediate information available on the identities or nationalities of those on board or what had caused the deaths of the 14 people. The boat was found about 15 nautical miles (about 28 kilometers or 18 miles) south of the southern Greek island of Crete early Monday.
In a separate incident, the coast guard said 28 Sudanese nationals were rescued overnight Saturday after their boat ran into trouble in bad weather about 6 nautical miles (11 kilometers or 7 miles) south of Crete. Eight bodies were recovered and two people were reported missing.
Greece is one of the main entry points into the 27-nation EU for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In recent months, thousands have been making the perilous sea crossing from North Africa, usually from Libya to Crete. Others make the far shorter but often equally dangerous crossing from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, often in unseaworthy inflatable dinghies or other small boats.
Last month, 12 people, including an infant, died when the two boats they were traveling in from Turkey to the islands of Lesbos and Samos capsized.
Frontex said in October that the eastern Mediterranean was the busiest route for migrants attempting to enter the EU, although irregular border crossings into the bloc were down by a third so far this year.
The agency said that around 31, 800 crossings were recorded in the first three quarters of 2026, a fall of 15% compared with the same period last year. The corridor from Libya to Crete was the busiest section on the route, ahead of the eastern Aegean islands and the land border with Turkey.