The record of migrants who died in Crete and off the island reached 22 people, according to information received from the Greek Coast Guard on Monday, 9 November 2026. This total corresponds to two distinct boats south of the island. Thirteen bodies were found in one of them on Monday, and the death of one person was found on land. Eight more bodies were recovered in a previous operation.
The balance sheet therefore increased after the first announcements of the day. The elements published by the authorities make it possible to distinguish between the two events and the succession of rescues, started during the weekend for one of the boats.
Fourteen dead in the boat spotted on Monday
In the early hours of Monday, the port authorities were alerted to the presence of a boat in difficulty about 15 nautical miles south-southwest of Kaloi Limenes. A Moroccan flag cargo ship collected 18 people. They were then transferred to a Greek patrol boat, whose crew found 13 bodies in their boat.
Patrolman joined Agia Galini. An unconscious person was transported to the Moires health centre, where his death was recorded. Three other persons, including a child, received care prior to their transfer to the Rethymnon hospital. The remaining 14 were oriented towards temporary accommodation.
Causes of death remain to be determined. Autopsies are planned, according to the Coast Guard press office quoted by a news agency. The authorities believe that passengers may have spent several days at sea. This hypothesis alone does not determine the medical causes of their death.
Eight bodies recovered in a separate operation
The other operation started after an alert was received on Saturday 7 November south of Kaloi Limenes. A tug found the boat shortly after midnight, on the night of Saturday to Sunday. He rescued 28 Sudanese nationals and recovered a man’s body, indicating the coast guard.
The north winds, by force 6 to 7, prevented the continued recovery of the bodies and the safe towing of the vessel. The boat was found Monday morning, about 10 nautical miles west-southwest of Kaloi Limenes. Seven bodies were still on board. They were brought back to port, bringing the balance sheet of the operation to eight.
According to the evidence gathered by the authorities, the group had left on 3 or 4 November. Two persons reportedly fell to the sea on 6 November and remain missing. They are not added to the record of confirmed deaths. Two persons were also arrested during the investigation into the organisation of the crossing.
A Sea Road Under Pressure
These deaths occur as arrivals from Libya increase on the Cretan coast. The International Organization for Migration expressed concern about this development and the shortcomings in search and rescue capabilities, according to its press statements.
On Friday, Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris announced that he was preparing his country for a migration crisis in Crete. He had quoted about 1,700 arrivals during the first three days of November, after some 5,000 in October. These data relate to arrivals on the island, not the number of passengers involved in the two tragedies.
For victims found on Monday, forensic examinations must now specify the circumstances of the deaths. The Port Authority of Rethymnon investigates the vessel brought back to Agia Galini.
Photo of illustration: the port of Agia Galini and a patrol of the Greek Coast Guard, 19 August 2013. This archive does not represent the November 2026 operations. G Da, via Wikimedia Commons. Whole photograph, resized proportionally and surrounded by a Libnanews dressing. Original photo and credits. Photo and visual adaptation under cC BY-SA 3.0 license.
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