Off the southern tip of Crete, a routine rescue turned catastrophic Saturday morning, as a migrant-laden wooden boat capsized, killing five and leaving 20 missing in the Mediterranean Sea. The location was roughly 15 nautical miles from Kala Limena village.
Details emerged from Greek National Broadcaster ERT: Two merchant ships sent by search authorities approached the boat. A ladder was deployed, but the sudden movement of passengers toward one side caused the vessel to overturn dramatically.
Among the responders, a Panama-registered freighter plucked 20 survivors from the sea. EU’s Frontex agency and local coast guard retrieved three corpses at first, then two more floated to the surface.
Accounts from those saved indicate up to 50 were on board, fueling concerns over additional victims. An extensive operation deploys coast guard cutters, commercial traffic, aerial surveillance via helicopter and military plane.
This disaster fits a pattern of peril in Greek waters. Since 2015, the nation has seen over 1 million irregular migrants arrive, many via treacherous sea voyages from Turkey. Scores have drowned here, while others met their end crossing the Evros River land border.
Recent weeks saw two more bodies recovered from the Evros, aged 20 and 35, amplifying calls for urgent reforms in migration management and rescue capabilities across the region.