A tragic incident involving migrants occurred in the early hours of Saturday south of Greece’s Gavdos island after a boat sank.
The devastating incident happened approximately twelve nautical miles southwest of Gavdos, where around forty more individuals are reported missing.
Two vessels of the Greek Coast Guard, along with a helicopter from the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) and another helicopter from the Hellenic Navy, have rushed to the area to rescue as many individuals as possible.
So far, the bodies of five individuals have been retrieved. Fortunately, at least 39 more people have been rescued by the Greek authorities and transferred to Palaeochora on the island of Crete.
The ICU unit of Chania Hospital in Crete is treating another individual who suffers from symptoms of drowning.
More vessels with migrants spotted south of Gavdos, Greece
In addition to the vessel that sank, another one was found approximately 40 nautical miles south of Gavdos. All 47 migrants on board were rescued by the Greek authorities.
A third boat was found 28 nautical miles south of Gavdos as well, with a total of 40 migrants on board. A separate rescue operation is underway to save them.
Gavdos not the first migrant boat sink incident in Greece
Only a few weeks ago, four migrants, including two children and two women, had died after their boat sank off the northeastern coast of Samos in the Aegean Sea.
This was another migrant boat disaster in the Mediterranean that occurred just days after another eight people, six children and two women, had died in the same coastal area off Samos, Greece. The Greek Coastguard had reported that 40 people were rescued, with an estimated 50 individuals being on board the vessel.
Gavdos under pressure
Gavdos is Greece’s southernmost island and the place that hosts Europe’s southernmost point.
This geographical proximity to the turbulent areas of Subsaharan Africa have turned Gavdos, along with the south of Italy, hotspots for illegal migrant routes that smugglers exploit.
Thousands of desperate people from a large number of countries pay thousands of euros to get on dinghies, without any safety guarantee, beginning the perilous journey towards Europe in a quest for a better future for themselves and their families.
Since early 2024, over 1,500 migrants have arrived on this tiny island of Greece, which has a population of only 70 permanent residents and very limited infrastructure.
The influx of migrants originates mainly from Tobruk in northeastern Libya, with migrants crossing approximately 170 nautical miles of open sea, which is particularly dangerous during the winter months.
The island’s limited resources, including a single school and only two grocery stores, are being strained by the sudden increase in population Greek authorities are working to address the situation and provide support to both migrants and local residents in cooperation with the European Union.