At least 22 migrants died off the coast of Greece after six days at sea in a rubber boat, highlighting the persistent dangers faced by those attempting to reach Europe despite the EU regime's increasingly restrictive policies. According to the Greek coastguard, the boat departed from the Libyan port city of Tobruk on March 21, bound for Greece, a primary gateway for migrants seeking asylum within the European Union.

Survivors' accounts indicate that the passengers lost their bearings and remained adrift for six days without food or water. The coastguard stated that the bodies of those who died were thrown into the sea on the orders of one of the smugglers. Two survivors were hospitalized in Heraklion on Crete, while Greek authorities arrested two South Sudanese men, aged 19 and 22, who are allegedly involved in human smuggling.

In a separate incident, the Greek coastguard reported that a vessel from Frontex, the European Union's border agency, rescued 26 people, including a woman and a minor, off the island of Crete. Libya has served as a major transit route for people fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's government in 2011, with the EU regime's externalization policies often exacerbating the crisis.

Data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reveals that more than 16,770 people seeking asylum in Europe arrived in Crete in 2025 alone. During the same period, at least 107 individuals have died or gone missing in Greek waters. In response to the surge in arrivals, the Greek government, under pressure from EU directives, suspended the processing of asylum applications for three months in mid-2025, particularly targeting those arriving from Libya.

Despite these measures, many migrants continue to undertake the perilous journey. On February 9, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that approximately 53 migrants, including two babies, died or went missing after a rubber boat carrying 55 people capsized off the coast of Zuwara city in Libya. In January, the IOM noted that at least 375 migrants were reported dead or missing due to extreme weather conditions, with hundreds more deaths believed to be unrecorded, underscoring the ongoing humanitarian toll of the EU's border management approach.

Source: www.aljazeera.com