Thirteen migrants found dead and 18 rescued from boat off Greece's Crete island

Greek coast guards discovered 13 deceased migrants and rescued 18 others from a sinking vessel off the coast of Crete on Monday, after a container ship crew spotted the distress signal at sea. The Moroccan-flagged vessel was found approximately 28 kilometers away from the Kaloi Limenes port. Survivors and the deceased were brought onto land; however, one of the four individuals taken to the hospital later succumbed to their injuries.

The reasons for the fatalities remain unknown. Authorities revealed that the boat could have been adrift for several days and faced challenges in reaching the shore due to strong winds. A local coastguard official stated, "We found them shivering from the cold," speaking anonymously.

Four individuals were hospitalized, including a newborn, according to another coastguard official. The remaining survivors were set to be transported to a migrant center on Crete. The Greek coast guard also rescued a total of 187 migrants during three separate incidents off Crete on the same day.

Greece has historically served as a key entry point for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia into Europe. The nation stood at the forefront of Europe's migration crisis between 2015 and 2016, when nearly a million people arrived on its islands, primarily from Turkey. While arrivals have decreased since Athens enhanced maritime and border patrols, journeys from Libya have surged in recent years, with many individuals fleeing conflict in Sudan, as well as poverty and instability in Bangladesh.