EuroMed Rights - 11/03/2026

Greek authorities confirmed that 39 migrants, including 2 minors, arrived on Crete after a sea crossing from Tobruk, Libya, with a 20-year-old South Sudanese man arrested for allegedly steering the boat for smugglers.
At least 22 migrants died while attempting to cross from Libya to Greece after their rubber boat was found about 100km south of Crete on March 27^th, 2026. A Frontex vessel rescued 26 survivors, though 2 needed hospital treatment. Survivors (mainly from Bangladesh, South Sudan, and Chad) said they were stranded at sea for 6 days without food or water in bad weather, leading to deaths from exhaustion, and alleged that smugglers ordered the bodies of the deceased to be thrown overboard. Two Sudanese men, aged 19 and 22, have been arrested on suspicion of human smuggling and negligent homicide.
Greek authorities have arrested 5 suspected smugglers on Samos following the rescue of 34 migrants on March 30^th2026, who had been transported from Türkiye by speedboat.
In a separate case in Athens (March 31^st), police dismantled another smuggling ring accused of providing migrants with fake documents, housing, and transport for onward travel in the EU. Several arrests were made, and the group is believed to have operated since 2025, charging thousands of euros per person.
More than 300 migrants have been rescued off Crete in recent days, with at least 369 arrivals recorded since the 12^th of April 202,6 from Bangladesh, Egypt, Yemen, and Sudan.

11/03/2026 — 17/04/2026