Migrant boat sinks south of Crete, two survivors found 15 missing

Greek authorities have launched a search and rescue operation after two men were found alive among 17 bodies on a partially sunken migrant boat south of the island of Crete.

According to the coast guard, the survivors said the vessel had been carrying a total of 34 people, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

They told officials that 15 others fell into the sea and are now missing, raising fears that the death toll could rise further.

The boat was spotted over the weekend by a passing Turkish merchant ship around 36 nautical miles southwest of Ierapetra, in southern Crete. When rescue teams arrived, 17 people on board had already died, and only two had survived. The coast guard later clarified earlier reports, revising the initial figure of 18 bodies.

Search efforts are continuing, but strong winds and rough seas have made operations difficult.

The survivors were taken to a hospital in Crete, while the bodies were transferred to a local morgue for examination. Authorities said the group had departed from Tobruk, Libya, on the night of December 1. The next day, the boat suffered an engine failure and was left drifting at sea.

Greece remains one of the main entry points into the European Union for people fleeing conflict, poverty and instability in regions including the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

In recent years, increased patrols in the Aegean Sea have reduced crossings from Türkiye, with many migrants now attempting the longer and more dangerous journey from North Africa across the Mediterranean.

By Aghakazim Guliyev