The Greek coast guard confirmed that over 20 migrants died off the coast of Greece after six days at sea in a rubber boat. Greek authorities arrested two South Sudanese men on suspicion of human smuggling in connection with the incident. Survivors told major media outlets that the bodies of those who died were thrown into the sea on the orders of one of the smugglers.
Twenty-six people from the boat were rescued. According to the Greek coast guard, two survivors were taken to hospital in Heraklion, Crete. Major media reports indicate the survivors were rescued by a vessel from the EU border agency Frontex late Friday near the coast of Crete.
It's a strategy of silence.
Survivors said the boat left Tobruk, Libya on March 21 heading for Greece. They reported that the boat got lost during the journey and drifted for six days without food and water. Those on board paid large sums of money, amounting to £7,500, to be taken to Greece, according to survivors cited by major media.
This tragedy is part of a broader pattern of deadly shipwrecks in the Mediterranean. The UN migration agency IOM reports that at least 181 migrants are feared dead in five different shipwrecks in the last ten days. Over 80 people are missing after the latest accident on Sunday, when a boat with about 120 migrants capsized after departing from Tajoura, northwestern Libya. On April 1, 19 people were found dead on a boat off the Italian island of Lampedusa, according to the IOM. The agency says at least 990 people have died in accidents in the Mediterranean so far this year, some of the deadliest first months since 2014.
Europe should know that these people who got drowned in the sea have family members, have dreams, have passions.
Historical context reveals alarming trends. Major media reports from two sources indicate at least 655 people died or disappeared in the Mediterranean in the first two months of this year, more than double the same period last year. The UN estimates at least 25,000 people have lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean since 2014. According to major media, the beginning of 2026 ranks as the deadliest start to any year for people trying to cross the Mediterranean, with 682 confirmed missing as of March 16.
Information restrictions complicate the full picture. According to major media, Julia Black, leader of IOM's Missing Migrants Project, described that at least 1,500 people were reported missing in 2025 whose fates the IOM could not confirm. Human rights groups report that Italy, Tunisia, and Malta have restricted information on migrant rescues and shipwrecks. According to The Independent - Main, Julia Black described restrictions on access for humanitarian actors and information. According to The Independent - Main, Matteo Villa, a researcher at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies think tank, described it as a strategy of silence.
We started a new secondary data set of what we are calling unverifiable cases because it’s just become so many.
Meanwhile, the Rohingya refugee crisis continues to claim lives in Asia. According to major media, UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said nearly 900 Rohingya refugees were reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal in 2025, the deadliest year on record for the region. Baloch added that more than 5,000 Rohingya refugees have lost their lives during dangerous sea journeys since 2012. The United Nations reports that a boat carrying about 280 Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi migrants capsized in the Andaman Sea in early April 2026. According to The Independent - Main, Josephus Thomas, a migrant from Sierra Leone and community leader in Tunisia's coastal town of El Amra, described that Europe should know that those who drowned had family members, dreams, and passions.
We’ve seen the restriction of access for humanitarian actors, which is not right. And now we’re seeing even the restriction of information.