Migrant tragedy as 22 die after boat ‘drifted for 6 days without food and water’
Twenty-two migrants have died after their boat drifted for six days without food or water off the coast of Crete, with 26 survivors rescued from the sea 52 nautical miles south of Ierapetra on Friday
Twenty-two migrants have lost their lives after their vessel became lost at sea and drifted for six days without food or water.
The devastating incident took place off the coast of Crete on Friday, with 26 survivors pulled from the water 52 nautical miles south of Ierapetra. Among those rescued were 24 men, one woman, and a child, all of whom were taken to Kali Limenes for medical attention.
Survivors told authorities their boat departed from Tobruk, Libya, on 21 March, carrying 48 people, according to Greek outlet Documento. The vessel became lost during the crossing and drifted for six days with no food or water, leading to the deaths of 22 people whose bodies were cast into the sea in desperation. Coast Guard and police officers transferred the majority of survivors to the port of Heraklion, while two were taken to hospital for urgent medical treatment.
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During preliminary enquiries, it emerged that those on board had paid enormous sums to make the crossing to Greece, with each person handing over as much as £7,500.
Two South Sudanese nationals, aged 19 and 22, were subsequently identified as the people traffickers behind the fatal voyage and taken into custody, reports the Express.
A significant and growing migration route from Africa to Greece runs from Libya — particularly Tobruk — to the southern Greek islands of Crete and Gavdos.
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Largely used by Sudanese, Egyptian, and Pakistani nationals, this route has witnessed thousands of arrivals, prompting tighter Greek border controls and increased detentions. The stretch from eastern Libya to Crete and Gavdos has emerged as a key, treacherous corridor for refugees and migrants.
More than 8,000 people had arrived via this particular route by July 2025, with large numbers of migrants making the crossing from Libya.
Man dies after fighting ‘breaks out’ on French coast as dozens try to board UK-bound boat
Medics tried to revive the man, but he was sadly declared dead at the scene.
Fighting broke out on the coast at Camiers, south of Boulogne-sur-Mer, it was claimed (file picture) (Image: Getty)
A man has died amid a reported scramble for places on a UK-bound dinghy. French prosecutors on Friday said they had opened criminal enquiries into two tragedies on their country’s coasts, believed to involve migrants trying to reach the UK.
On Thursday morning, fighting broke out on the coast at Camiers, south of Boulogne-sur-Mer, following “reports of a migrant-carrying vessel in distress”, according to a spokesman for the Pas-de-Calais prefecture. He also said: “Around thirty individuals managed to board the boat, but an adult male was then found in the water, and in cardiorespiratory arrest”. Medical experts tried to revive the man, who has not been identified, but he was later declared dead at the scene.
This came as around 781 migrants arrived in the UK on Wednesday, after crossing the English Channel, the highest number on a single day so far this year.
The cumulative number of arrivals by small boats in 2026 now stands at 18,565, according to provisional figures from the Home Office.
A separate fatal incident happened on the beach at Neufchâtel-Hardelot, the French spokesman added, saying the “body of a person in their thirties, of African appearance, was discovered” there.
The latest deaths mean that at least 21 people, including women and children, have died in the Channel this year as they tried to get to Britain. The worst tragedy of this kind came in November 2021, when 27 migrants died after a dinghy sank while heading to the UK – the highest recorded number of deaths from a single incident.
Migrants on a dinghy in Northern France (file picture) (Image: Getty)
The surge in crossings also indicates that people-trafficking gangs are still getting hold of dinghies and outboard motors with ease, despite a crackdown on supply routes.
In further chaotic scenes, a dinghy launched from near Bayeux, in Normandy, made a record 38-hour voyage.
They launched just before 10am on Monday and, on Tuesday afternoon, were picked up by RNLI lifeboats and later transferred to a Border Force cutter. The 51 migrants aboard were eventually brought ashore at Dover in the early hours of Wednesday.
The total number of arrivals, according to Home Office figures, is down 42% on the equivalent point last year, when the total stood at 32,188. It is also 26% below the figure at this stage in 2024, when the total was 25,165, figures showed.
