Greece’s coast guard recovered the bodies of 12 migrants from a boat off the island of Crete early on Monday and rescued another 18 people on board, Reuters reported, citing the coast guard. It was not immediately clear how the migrants died.
The boat was about 15 nautical miles off the port of Kaloi Limenes. Dozens more people were rescued in two other incidents off Crete, and all of those saved will be taken ashore, a coast guard official said.
Greece has for years been a favoured gateway to Europe for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. It was on the front line of Europe’s migration crisis in 2015 and 2016, when nearly one million people landed on its islands, mainly from Turkey.
Total migrant arrivals have ebbed since as Athens have bolstered sea and border patrols but sea arrivals from northeastern Libya of migrants trying to cross to Europe through Crete have surged.
(Reuters)
