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22 migrants hoping to reach Europe died off the coast of Greece, survivors told the Greek coastguard on Saturday. 26 others survived the ordeal and were rescued by a European border agency vessel near the island of Crete.
The survivors included a woman and a minor, officials said, adding that those in need of treatment were transferred to hospitals. 21 of the survivors were Bangladeshi citizens, four were from South Sudan and one was a Chadian national.
The boat had been at sea for six days after setting sail from Tobruk, a port city in eastern Libya seen by many migrants as the gateway for asylum into the European Union, on 21 March.
Survivors said the bodies of those who had died were thrown into the Mediterranean sea on the orders of one of the people smugglers aboard the ship.
“During the journey, the passengers lost their bearings and remained at sea for six days without food or water,” the coastguard stated.
The bodies of those who died “were thrown into the sea on the orders of one of the smugglers,” it added.
Greek authorities have arrested two South Sudanese men, aged 19 and 22, who they believe to be the smugglers. They are now under investigation for “illegal entry into the country” and “negligent homicide”.
The boat carrying the group was 53 nautical miles south of Ierapetra, a town on southern Crete.
A coastguard spokesperson told new agency AFP that the vessel had endured “unfavourable meteorological conditions” during its journey.
That, coupled with a shortage of food and water, had “led to the deaths through exhaustion of 22 people,” said the spokesperson.
The number of migrants who have died trying to reach EU soil more than doubled in the first two months of 2026, compared with last year, the EU border agency Frontex said earlier this month.
“These tragedies highlight once more the urgency to intensify the work with partner countries along the migratory routes and re-double efforts in the fight against migrant smugglers, who are the ones responsible for these tragedies,” an EU commission spokesperson said on Saturday.
According to data from the International Organisation for Migration, 559 people died in the Mediterranean between January and February, compared with 287 for the same period last year.
In December, 17 migrants were found dead inside their boat, which was discovered partially deflated and filled with water southwest of Crete. Authorities say only two survivors were located, adding that another 15 had drowned, and their bodies were never recovered.
The European Parliament on Thursday endorsed a major tightening of the bloc’s migration policy in a bid to stem the crossings, approving the concept of “return hubs” – designed to send migrants to non-EU third countries, like the UK’s Rwanda initiative.
Those proposals have been criticised by rights groups as inhumane.
Additional sources • AFP