Thirteen migrants die as boat carrying Sudanese nationals sinks off Greece's Crete

On Monday, a migrant boat carrying Sudanese nationals capsized off the Greek island of Crete, resulting in at least 13 fatalities and the rescue of 18 survivors, according to the Hellenic Coast Guard. A Moroccan-flagged container ship initially spotted the distressed vessel approximately 15 nautical miles (28 kilometers) south of Kaloi Limenes, prompting a rescue operation that pushed the death toll above 21 following a previous shipwreck over the weekend.

As the number of crossings from Libya to Crete has surged among individuals fleeing conflict in Sudan and transit hubs in North Africa, Ghana and the International Organization for Migration had already repatriated 144 Ghanaian migrants in July. Among the 18 survivors, four, including a toddler, received medical attention at a hospital, where it later emerged that one of the evacuated passengers had succumbed to their injuries.

The cause of the deaths remains under investigation, although survivors had endured days at sea in challenging conditions, battling strong winds. A coastguard official informed Reuters that those pulled from the vessel were shivering from the cold. The Hellenic Coast Guard conducted three separate rescue operations off the Greek coast on Monday, saving a total of 187 people.

According to United Nations data, over 37,000 migrants have reached Greece by sea in 2026, surpassing the total for all of 2025. This surge in arrivals has prompted Athens to plan a temporary reception center near Crete's capital, Heraklion, as European states tighten asylum and settlement rules.