Greece recovers 12 dead migrants from boat off of Crete, coast guard says
Greece retrieved the bodies of 12 dead migrants from a boat sailing off the island of Crete early on Monday, its coast guard said.
Greek coast guard retrieved the bodies of 12 migrants who perished on a boat off the coast of Crete on Monday morning. The cause of their deaths remains unknown. In addition, the coast guard rescued 18 survivors from the same vessel, which was located approximately 15 nautical miles from the port of Kaloi Limenes. Dozens of others were rescued from two other incidents off the coast of Crete, according to a coast guard official.
All of the rescued individuals will be taken ashore. Greece, a common entry point for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, has been at the forefront of Europe's migration crisis since 2015. During that period, nearly 1 million people landed on its islands, primarily from Turkey. However, since then, the total number of migrant arrivals has decreased as Greece has strengthened sea and land patrols.
In recent times, however, sea arrivals from northeastern Libya of migrants attempting to reach Europe via Crete have increased significantly.
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