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At least 22 migrants attempting to reach Europe from North Africa died off the coast of Greece after spending six days at sea in a rubber boat, survivors told the Greek coastguard on Saturday.
Greek authorities said late Friday that 26 people, including a woman and a minor, were rescued by a European border agency vessel off the island of Crete.
Two survivors were taken to a hospital in Heraklion, the coastguard said.
According to survivor accounts, the boat had departed Tobruk, a port city in eastern Libya, on March 21, bound for Greece, a key entry point for migrants seeking asylum in the European Union.
“During the journey, the passengers lost their bearings and remained at sea for six days without food or water,” the coastguard said.
It added that the bodies of those who died were reportedly thrown into the sea on orders of one of the smugglers.
Two South Sudanese men, aged 19 and 22, believed to be the traffickers, have been arrested.
They are under investigation for “illegal entry into the country” and “negligent homicide.”
The vessel was located 53 nautical miles south of Ierapetra, a town on southern Crete.
A coastguard spokesman said that adverse weather conditions, combined with lack of food and water, contributed to the deaths through exhaustion.
“The bodies of these dead people were thrown into the sea on the orders of the two traffickers, who have been arrested, according to testimony by survivors,” the spokesman added.
The incident shows a rising toll of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. According to the International Organisation for Migration, 559 people died attempting the journey in January and February 2026, compared with 287 during the same period last year.
In December, 17 migrants were found dead in a partially deflated boat southwest of Crete, with only two survivors. The bodies of 15 others were never recovered.
In response to increasing deaths, the European Parliament recently approved tighter EU migration policies, including “return hubs” to transfer migrants to non-EU countries. Human rights groups have criticised the proposals as inhumane.
