A wooden boat carrying approximately 100 migrants sank south of the small Greek island of Gavdos on Wednesday, resulting in at least one confirmed death and two people missing, according to Greece’s coast guard. The incident underscores the ongoing risks faced by migrants attempting to reach Europe via dangerous sea routes.
A passing cargo ship rescued 97 survivors, who are being transported to Heraklion on the island of Crete. The survivors include 50 men from Pakistan, 41 individuals from Sudan (39 men and two women), five men from Bangladesh, and one from Somalia. The boat sank about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Gavdos, with survivors reporting that three men from Pakistan and Sudan were missing.
This tragedy follows a similar incident near the eastern Greek island of Kos just a day earlier, where two women and two children died when a smuggling boat from Turkey capsized. Another 27 people were rescued in that event.
Greece continues to be a key entry point for migrants seeking to enter the European Union, with tens of thousands attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean. By early October this year, over 42,000 migrants had been registered in Greece, with more than 36,500 arriving by sea, according to UN refugee agency figures.
The incident highlights Europe’s ongoing struggle with migration. On Tuesday, Greece’s deputy minister for migration, Sofia Voultepsi, warned that wars in the Middle East and Africa, combined with climate change effects, will put Europe under continuous long-term immigration pressure. Voultepsi called for practical improvements to the EU migration pact and a common EU-wide system for handling deportations of rejected asylum seekers.
Elsewhere in Europe, Italy has begun implementing a new agreement with Albania to process asylum applications of migrants intercepted in international waters. Meanwhile, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk is considering temporarily suspending the right to asylum as part of a new migration policy.
As Europe grapples with these complex migration issues, the tragic sinking off Gavdos serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of dangerous sea crossings and the urgent need for comprehensive, humane solutions to the ongoing migration crisis in the Mediterranean region.
