17 bodies recovered from migrant boat in Greece

The Greek coastguard has recovered the bodies of at least 17 migrants and asylum seekers from a boat off the coast of the island of Crete, Qatar-based Al Jazeera news agency reported. The bodies and two survivors were recovered about 26 nautical miles (48 km) southwest of Crete on Saturday (December 6). A Greek coastguard spokesman told AFP that all of the victims were “males”.
“Two have been hospitalized in a serious condition. The cause of the sinking is not yet clear,” he said. The bodies were recovered from the boat, the Athens News Agency reported, citing Greek state TV channel ERT. Last year, migrants chose Crete as a new route to reach Europe from Libya. The UN refugee agency UNHCR said 16,770 asylum seekers had arrived there so far this year.
In July, Greece’s conservative government, led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, suspended asylum hearings for migrants, especially those arriving in Crete from Libya. Libya has been in turmoil since the fall and killing of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising.