Greece and Senegal: Two boat accidents with many fatalities

dpa/afp | At least 20 people died in a total of four accidents involving migrant boats south of Crete over the weekend. 133 people have been rescued so far, at least two are missing, reported the news channel ERTnews. Search and rescue work continued.

In the first case, which occurred on Saturday evening just a few nautical miles off the southern Crete coastal town of Kali Limenes, the Greek coast guard rescued 28 Sudanese and recovered eight dead. According to the authorities, the search is still ongoing for two people. According to survivors, the migrants had set sail from Libya days before and had paid between 1,000 and 2,500 euros for the dangerous journey. Two men aged 16 and 28 were arrested as suspected smugglers.

In the same region, the crew of a passing container ship spotted another refugee boat and alerted the authorities. A Greek coast guard patrol boat rescued 18 people; twelve passengers were only rescued dead. In this case, there was no information yet on the nationality or place of departure of the migrants, Greek media reported.

In addition, 87 people were saved in two further rescue operations. Both boats were discovered by the EU border protection agency Frontex's air surveillance, one with 47 passengers on board and one with 40. Frontex forces picked up the people and took them to the coastal town of Kali Limenes.

Although refugee arrivals in Greece decreased overall in 2026 compared to the previous year, they rose sharply in Crete. More and more people are setting sail from Libya and Crete is the closest at 350 kilometers as the crow flies. Almost two thirds of the refugees come from Sudan and Bangladesh, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

As of November 1st, more than 22,500 people have arrived in Crete so far this year - already more than in the entire previous year with around 20,200 arrivals. Across Greece, however, the UNHCR has recorded around 37,500 arrivals so far, after 42,000 in the entire previous year.

The death toll has risen to at least 34 after a migrant boat sank off the coast of Senegal. The new death toll was confirmed on Sunday by state media and an aid organization. More people are missing. The Senegalese Interior Ministry had previously reported 21 deaths and one survivor.

The boat sank off the coast of the Kébémer department between Dakar and the northern city of Saint-Louis. The founder of the Senegalese aid organization Boza Fii, Saliou Diouf, told the AFP news agency that the accident had already occurred on Friday. It is not yet clear which countries all the inmates come from. The victims recovered so far are Senegalese.

Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said all available state resources had been mobilized to search for missing people and assist the victims' families. The Interior Ministry said the death toll was expected to continue to rise.

Every year, numerous people try to reach the Spanish Canary Islands and thus the EU via the dangerous Atlantic route from West Africa. Thousands have drowned or gone missing on the route in recent years.

Senegalese authorities intercepted another boat carrying 142 migrants on their way to Spain on Friday. Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco have increased controls off their coasts. As a result, migrant boats are increasingly departing further south, lengthening the dangerous crossing.