The sinking of a migrant boat off Crete has left one person dead and 25 people missing, the Greek coast guard reportedly said. Despite a significant drop in overall sea arrivals to Greece this year, arrivals to Crete and fatalities at sea are on the rise.
One person died and 25 people remain missing after a boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of the small Greek island of Gavdos, news agency AFP reported on Monday (September 14) citing the Greek coast guard.
"Fifty-one were picked up by two boats that were in the area," a coast guard spokesperson said according to AFP, noting that according to survivors, a total of 77 people were on board the vessel when it capsized.
Greece's southernmost island, Gavdos is much smaller than neighboring Crete, with only 32 square kilometers and some 140 inhabitants.
Both islands are situated around 320 kilometers off the Libyan coast and have increasingly become a primary point of entry into Greece for migrants and asylum seekers attempting the Mediterranean crossing.
Drop in overall arrivals
Despite high arrival numbers to Gavdos and Crete, arrivals to all of Greece's Aegean Islands have been on the decline. Between the beginning of the year and September 6, 25,524 migrants have arrived by irregular means in Greece, almost 20,000 (19,787 as of September 6) of them by boat, according to UNHCR records.
At the same time, the eastern Mediterranean route -- along with the central and western routes -- became even more dangerous this year.
According to data from UN migration agency IOM (last updated September 8), this year's death toll in the eastern Mediterranean Sea saw a 74 percent increase compared to last year, from 223 to 387.
Across Europe, governments have increasingly tightened border controls and migration policies in recent months and years amid growing political support for far-right and anti-immigration parties.
In Greece, Migration Minister Thanos Plevris has continued to champion a strict approach toward new irregular arrivals.
In addition, Greek officials have held discussions with Germany and several other EU member states regarding the establishment of external "return hubs" located outside the bloc to process rejected asylum seekers and migration claims.
with AFP