ATHENS: The bodies of three migrants were picked up in waters off the Greek island of Crete during a rescue effort involving a commercial ship, authorities said on Friday.

Twenty migrants were rescued by the commercial vessel which was directed to the area on the orders of the Greek Search and Rescue Centre.

Most of them were Egyptians and Sudanese, and there were four minors among them, the Athens News Agency reported.

According to Greek public broadcaster ERT, an accident occurred when the vessel approached the migrants’ wooden boat. As the passengers tried to climb up ladders into the vessel a sudden movement caused the small boat to capsize.

The search for survivors was continuing with four patrol boats, an aircraft, and two ships from the European border agency Frontex, a spokesperson for the Greek coast guard said.

According to ERT, survivors said about 50 people were aboard the wooden boat. A second boat carrying around forty migrants was spotted in the area, triggering another rescue operation. For over a year, migrants have been attempting the perilous crossing from Libya to Crete, the gateway to the European Union. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 16,770 people seeking asylum in the EU arrived in Crete in 2025.

Faced with the surge in arrivals, the conservative Greek government suspended the processing of asylum applications for three months last summer, particularly for those arriving from Libya.

UNHCR says 107 people died or went missing in Greek waters in 2025.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2026